Fighting the Social Classes
by Silver Clouds
Summary: Cherry's cousin comes to town and takes a quick liking to Sodapop. However, Ponyboy likes her as well. What will happen when a Soc has to pick between the two Curtis brothers? And worse yet, what will happen when others find out she's interested in them?
1. Chapter 1

The cool air drifted in through the window, hitting against her smooth skin. The sound of the road beneath the tires of the Mustang was the only thing that was keeping her attention now. The conversation between herself and her uncle had died away rather quickly after they had left behind the Texas scenery and now Cindy Valence found herself let to her own thoughts.

It had been only a few days since her parents had died while walking home one evening and it had only been yesterday that they had been buried and placed in the ground for their eternal rest. Now, only a day later, she was traveling miles and miles from her home just to stay with a group of people that she hadn't spoken to in thirteen years or more. For, as it was, the Valence side of her family was estranged from her mother after the marriage of her parents. Her father, who had been a hard-working man, didn't reach the standards of the Valences and therefore her mother had been ignored by her family ever sense.

As this thought and realization passed through her mind, Cindy glanced toward her uncle, taking in the set features of his face. There were no lines that came from smiling and there was no glint of amusement in his eyes. They were just hard and indifferent. Sighing softly to herself, she readjusted herself in her seat and looked toward the window, watching as the trees disappeared and only open plains could be seen. Slowly, her eyes began to drift closed and the sleep she had been fighting off since the day before finally won.

*******************

The air around her was silent and still as Cindy's hazel eyes flashed open and she sat up in alarm. The engine of the car had stopped and the sound of her uncle's breathing beside her had disappeared. Looking to the driver's seat, she realized he was no longer there and in alarm she got out of the car and turned around. Behind her, a large house caught her attention and assuming it was that of her relatives, she headed toward it quickly.

Letting the door slam shut behind her, Cindy looked around, taking in the decorative style in which the house was made up in. It was obvious her uncle and aunt weren't poor; in fact, by the looks of it, it appeared that they seemed to be one of the wealthiest people in their area. As this realization crossed through her mind, she heard hurried footsteps coming up behind her and a small squeal coming from the direction of the door.

Whirling around, a polite smile appeared on Cindy's face as she stood looking at her cousin, Sherri. It had been almost thirteen years since her cousin had been to visit her in Texas and it was obvious that neither of them had seen the other since. Uncertain of what to say, Cindy continued to just smile before her cousin hurried toward her and wrapped her arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace. Unwillingly, Cindy returned the hug before backing away and letting the smile disappear from her lips.

"How're you?" she questioned, her eyes scanning over her cousin's face before she looked back towards the door from which she had come in. Apparently this would be a rather long evening of getting reacquainted, which Cindy had honestly hoped would be later on in her stay. However, Sherri didn't seem to notice the awkwardness in the situation and soon had grabbed onto her cousin's arm and had brought her up the stairs and into the guest bedroom which now belonged to Cindy.

"We've got a lot to talk about," Sherri mused, watching as her cousin looked around at the furniture that was already placed in the room. Yet, as she watched Cindy merely nod in reply, the smile that had been on her face from the start slowly disappeared. "Um, I suppose you want to get settled in, don't you?" she continued, the excitement disappearing from her tone. Cindy, once again, only nodded in reply as her cousin let a soft sigh escape from her lips.

"I'll see you later then. Good night, Cindy," she called before closing the door quietly. Cindy listened to her cousin's footsteps disappearing along the hallway and once they were out of earshot, she sighed and fell onto the bed. This entire place was so strange to her. Just by listening to her cousin talk, she could tell she wouldn't fit in perfectly; then again, she never wanted to fit in perfectly. All she wanted to do was make herself happy and she had a feeling this might just be what she needed.

As she convinced herself of this, Cindy scooted up the bed toward the pillows and after separating the comforter from the bed sheet, she slipped between them and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know these first few chapters may not be that interesting. Please stick with me though, I promise it'll get a lot more interesting

The morning sunlight drifted in through the opened curtains and streamed across Cindy's face. The first thought in her mind was that she was back at home and that any minute now her mother would come in to wake her like she had done every day before. However, as she heard the door to the bedroom open slowly and soft footsteps enter the room, she knew it wasn't her mother. Her mother had never been that quiet.

Sighing softly to herself, she moved slightly in the bed, allowing her to look over her shoulder at the person in the doorway. Slowly, as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she noticed that it was only her cousin and shaking her head, she turned back over. Cindy still hadn't gotten used to the fact that she would be living with them and she wasn't all that excited to get reacquainted with her cousin just yet.

However, there was no time for her to justify these thoughts for she felt her cousin's hand on her shoulder as she shook her gently. "Come on, Cindy, you've got to get up…"

"Why?"

"Father says you're starting school today," Cherry replied quietly as she sat down beside her cousin. As the mattress sank down next to her, Cindy was forced to shift her weight again and finally she sat up. Looking at her cousin in mild surprise, she slowly shook her head in disbelief.

"I'm not starting today."

"Father said you are."

"Why?" Cindy questioned, her eyebrows rising slowly in question as she took in the sincere expression her cousin wore. Cindy had never imagined that they'd make her attend school the first day she was in town. However, it was slowly becoming apparent to her that her uncle and aunt didn't want her around that much. It just came with the fact that she was part of the estranged family they hated so much.

Deciding that it was useless to argue the point any further, Cindy pushed herself out of the bed and headed toward the adjoining bathroom. As the water ran in the sink, Cherry found this as good a time as any to disappear, so after leaving an outfit of her own out for her cousin, she quickly escaped from the awkward silence that always seemed to emerge while they were in the same room.

As she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, Cindy could hear the retreating footsteps of her cousin and sighing in relief she turned and began to get ready for the school day. Her mind wandered as she carried on with her morning routine; why was it that she always got the feeling she didn't fit in? Was it because her uncle and aunt treated her so differently or was there a different reason? Before she was able to sort out her thoughts, Cindy turned the water off and soon reentered the bedroom.

It didn't take her long to finish getting ready. After she had made certain she looked presentable, she hurried downstairs, only to find her cousin standing at the door waiting for her. "We're late…"

"We are?"

Cherry merely nodded before hurrying out the front door. As she followed her cousin, Cindy was slightly amazed at the difference in times, but that amazement didn't last long for when she entered the bright morning sunlight she realized there was a car waiting for them in the street.

A look of uncertainty appeared on her face as she approached the vehicle and after entering it, she realized that her cousin apparently knew the driver quite well. It seemed to take a few moments for Cherry to realize her cousin was there, but when she did, her face reddened slightly in embarrassment.

"Cindy, this is Bob, my boyfriend…" she introduced as she glanced to the guy beside her. Bob, who was far too interested in his own thoughts, only nodded in response to the introduction and therefore Cindy did the same.

The car ride, which seemed to last quite awhile, finally came to an end and Cindy couldn't have been happier. Jumping out of the vehicle, she hurried up the steps towards the school before she stopped, feeling someone nudge her arm. Watching as her books fell to the ground, a groan escaped from her before her eyes flashed dangerously toward the person who had caused the accident.

As her eyes settled on the person, though, she realized it was a boy around fourteen who looked sincerely regretful for the small incident. Finding that his expression washed away her anger, Cindy gathered up the books before rising to her feet once more and looking at him.

"Sorry…" was the only word that he seemed to mutter before Cherry's hand had taken a hold of her cousin's arm. A look of deep uncertainty rested in her eyes before she glanced toward Bob; seeing that he was preoccupied with something, her eyes flashed toward the boy.

"Ponyboy, you know you aren't supposed to talk to us…" she hissed warningly. "It isn't right."

"It was an accident," the boy replied, his eyes flashing toward Cindy before he looked back toward Cherry. "I gotta get goin'. I've got class…" he quickly added on before giving them a small smile.

As he hurried off, a look of confusion remained on Cindy's face. Ever since she had arrived, Cherry had acted kindly toward everyone and now she treated that poor boy that way? It simply didn't make sense.

Cherry, who recognized the look on her cousin's face, sighed softly as she began to lead Cindy into the school. Obviously she was attempting to think of a way to explain the situation and as they stopped outside of a locker she had finally figured out a way to do it.

"That was Ponyboy…" she began, glancing along the hallway to make certain that no one was coming along. "He's a Greaser…"

"A what?"

"Greaser…" Cherry repeated, her voice a bit quieter this time. "He lives on the East side. We, being Socs, can't associate with him in any way. Greasers and Socs don't get along, do you understand?"

Cindy, who was attempting to comprehend the hushed warnings, slowly nodded her head. "So you're saying he's bad news and to stay away?"

"No…"

"What?"

Cherry sighed as she ran her fingers through her red-hair. "He isn't bad exactly. He's just not in our class. I don't know how to explain it, Cindy. Greasers and Socs just have never gotten along and that's how it is. You've just got to stay away from him and any other Greaser…"

"Alright…" Cindy replied, the uncertainty still in her tone. Yet there was no more time to explain the situation as the school bell rang, causing her to jump slightly in alarm. Watching as her cousin attempted to hide her smile of amusement, Cindy sighed before hurrying off to find her first class. This task, although rather easy, seemed pointless. For the rest of the day her mind was focused on the entire social struggle she had just learned.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few hours of the day went by slowly, almost as if they were in reverse. Nothing seemed to be happening that was interesting and Cindy was still a bit curious as to why her uncle was forcing her to entire the school after it had already begun. He could've at least waited until after Christmas break, but apparently she was the only one that thought logically.

These thoughts and a few other daydreams were the only things that seemed to keep her awake through her first few classes and by the time a small break came, Cindy felt as if she had been at the school eight hours already. As soon as she emerged from her classroom, she found that she had no idea where she was going or what she was supposed to do.

There was no one around that she would dare ask either, she realized, as she walked along the hallways of the school. As she passed each clique along the way, she felt their eyes trailing after her and she caught a few whispered words here and there. It was obvious people were curious as to who she was and where she came from, but no one was about to ask her anything. Sighing softly at the small, isolated feeling she was getting, Cindy was grateful to reach the outdoors.

Instantly she headed in the direction of a small tree that rested far enough away from the steps of the school that she didn't have to hear the whispered words any longer. After all she wasn't about to undergo all the gossip if she could avoid it. As she settled on the grass beneath the tree, she pulled out a small apple she had taken from the house earlier and biting into it, she began to look around and watch the people that attended the school.

It didn't take her long to notice that most of the people must have grown up together. They all seemed so close and so friendly that it didn't surprise her that they didn't accept a stranger like her. The thought, although quite true, didn't bring her much amusement and she let it drift from her mind painfully. However, just as she had begun to think of other things, she spotted the boy she had bumped into earlier.

A look of confusion appeared on her face as she watched him look around in what appeared to be uncertainty. Unable to help herself, Cindy kept her attention on him as he began to walk in this direction and then that direction, attempting to find a place where there weren't that many people. His actions, although resembling her own almost perfectly, confused her a bit. Didn't he have a group of friends to hang out with too?

Almost as if he could hear her thinking, his eyes turned toward her, causing her to look away quickly. It was too late though, he had seen her watching him and almost immediately he headed over in her direction. As he approached, there was a somewhat shy persona about him. He didn't seem to want to talk and he seemed to be urging himself to just keep walking on after he had stopped in front of her.

Cindy, however, couldn't let that happen and so she allowed a polite smile to appear on her lips. After all, she needed some type of company. Forgetting completely about her cousin's warning earlier that morning, Cindy motioned for him to sit down across from her which he hesitantly did.

"I don't think I got to introduce myself this morning…" Cindy began, her eyes looking intently into his. However, he looked away almost immediately, causing a genuine smile to appear on her lips. "I'm Cindy…"

"Ponyboy…"

"Excuse me?" she replied, her eyebrows rising slightly as she listened to his muttered reply.

As if he were trying to fight the temptation to continue to avoid her gaze, he looked up into her eyes with a small, shy sort of smile. "My name's Ponyboy…"

"Really?"

"Yeah…" he replied, having heard this sort of tone before.

Realizing she must have been giving him a strange look, Cindy quickly shook her head before laughing softly. "That's an interesting name. Very original, I like it…" she responded, hoping to break the awkwardness between them.

Watching as a small smile quickly flickered across the boy's face, Cindy decided she had accomplished her goal and was just about to open her mouth to say something else when she heard hurried footsteps coming up behind her. Looking up, she smiled once more as she saw her cousin stopping next to her.

"Cindy…" she whispered warningly as she looked at Ponyboy for a few moments before turning her gaze to her cousin. "I told you about him earlier. You aren't supposed to talk to Greasers."

Cindy, whose gaze had turned from her cousin, returned to Cherry's face within a moment as she caught the tone of voice that was being used with her. "You aren't my guardian, Sherri…" she said quietly, her eyes flickering towards Ponyboy before turning back to her cousin. "Besides, we were only getting acquainted. I can't be rude and simply ignore people like you…"

"I don't ignore him…"

Cindy looked at her cousin, a look of shock appearing on her face. Suddenly it occurred to her that her cousin had known Ponyboy by name that morning, meaning they'd already met previously. "When did you…"

"Not now…"

"Sherri!" she exclaimed, watching as her cousin shook her head.

"We've got to get back to classes…" Cherry announced, grabbing onto her cousin's arm before glancing toward Ponyboy with a small, apologetic look. "You know I don't mean anything by it, Ponyboy. But I've got to keep up my reputation…" she said, the tone of voice changing quickly.

Ponyboy, who had remained basically motionless throughout the entire conversation, slowly nodded his head. "I know...."

Cherry nodded slowly and remained there for a few more moments before tugging lightly at Cindy's arm. "Well come on," she urged before heading toward the school to meet up with her friends.

Cindy, who was having an internal conflict over going or not, found herself having no real choice in the matter; sighing, she glanced toward Ponyboy apologetically before letting a small smile appear on her lips. "It was nice meeting you…" she said, almost uncertain on how to end the conversation. Watching as he nodded and gave her a small smile, Cindy decided that that was as good as things were going to get and so she too hurried off to return to the school.

As he watched them go, Ponyboy sighed slightly to himself. He wasn't certain what to think of everything that was going on, but he knew one thing. This feeling that he was having wasn't something he was used to and eventually he'd have to figure out what it meant.


	4. Chapter 4

The rest of the day went by in a blur for Ponyboy. No words that were spoken to him were remembered and nothing that the teacher's lectured on could catch his attention. All his thoughts and daydreams always seemed to return to the girl he had met earlier that day.

As the final bell of the day sounded throughout the school, Ponyboy found himself walking as if he were still in a daydream. Nothing could catch his attention and not even the threatening and mocking voices of the Socs could penetrate his thoughts. The only moment he ceased to dream was whenever he saw the two cousins leaving the school and even then he couldn't tell if the smile Cindy sent in his direction was part of reality or part of his dreams.

Sighing contentedly, Ponyboy began the long walk from school to his home. The walk, although abnormally quiet, was just what he had been looking for. For once all day he could enjoy his thoughts and not have to worry about someone else butting into them and interrupting them. Although, as he continued to walk, his subconscious seemed to have other things drifting through it then solitude for soon he found himself approaching the DX station.

A look of slight confusion passed over his face as he entered the station and headed directly toward where his brother sat talking animatedly to Steve about something or other. Their conversation didn't seem to die out until Steve caught sight of Ponyboy out of the corner of his eye. Like always, the look of dislike appeared on Steve's face before he excused himself from the conversation and disappeared into one of the back rooms.

As Sodapop turned his attention toward his younger brother, Ponyboy stood their silently for a few moments. His thoughts had returned and his mind was preoccupied until he heard his brother clear his throat. Coming out of his daydreams, a small smile appeared on Pony's face before he followed his brother toward the backroom where Steve had attempted to find refuge.

"What're you doing here, Pony?"

Ponyboy, who was usually quick to answer such questions, merely shrugged in response as he reached for a bottle of water that rested nearby. "I don't know…"

"You don't know?"

"Doesn't surprise me…" Steve muttered, watching as his best friend glanced at him warningly before he turned back to his younger brother.

"What's on your mind, Pony? You're quieter than normal."

Ponyboy merely shrugged in response before glancing toward the water bottle he was drinking out of. "I just got thirsty that's all…"

"Thirsty…?" Soda repeated, almost in disbelief. Watching his brother nod though, he shrugged slightly before glancing toward Steve. It was apparent neither of them believed him, yet Ponyboy wasn't going to waste much time attempting to convince them. He had other things to think about.

"I'll see you later, Soda. Darry'll kill me if I don't get my schoolwork done…" Pony quickly explained before backing out of the room and then hurrying toward the front door. As he entered into the sunlight once more, he sighed in frustration. What was he doing? Why couldn't he even tell Sodapop what was going on? Growing even more annoyed with the situation, he was quite happy when he reentered his daydreams.

******************

As the school bell sounded throughout the school, Cindy hurried from her final class. Her first day of school was finally over and she couldn't be happier about it. There was nothing more she wanted to do besides get away from the school and pretty much everyone in it. That hope, though, was extinguished rather quickly as Bob pulled up in his car and her cousin got in.

Sighing, Cindy followed her cousin's example and soon she found herself listening to the two flirting in the front seat. A look of annoyance passed through her eyes as she turned her attention toward the scenery drifting outside the window. She hadn't noticed it earlier, but everything seemed to be so peaceful at the moment. No one or nothing seemed to be out of place and that was rather unusual, or so she thought.

It didn't take long, though, for these peaceful and rather enjoyable thoughts to be forced from her mind because she heard her cousin's voice growing rather loud.

"Where are you going, Bob?"

"DX station…"

"Why?" Cherry questioned, her voice growing louder than it should've been.

A look of curiosity appeared on Cindy's face as she looked toward her cousin. It was obvious that Cherry was quite livid about where they were going and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Apparently there were people there that Cherry either didn't want to see or didn't want to have to see.

This theory that Cindy had developed was clarified as Bob's car pulled into the parking lot and he shut off the engine. Immediately a guy exited the shop and then froze, staring at the car coldly and blankly.

"What's going on?" Cindy whispered as she watched Bob slam his door shut and head towards the worker.

Cherry, however, only shook her head in reply as she watched the scenario playing out before them. As Cindy too watched she noticed the violent actions that were occurring between the two and she was half tempted to shove her cousin out of the way so she could stop Bob from punching the worker.

However, things seemed to calm down on their own rather quickly and soon Bob had returned to the car and had started the engine up. Not another word was said the entire ride home and as soon as he had dropped them off and left, Cherry let out a small scream of annoyance.

"He makes me so angry sometimes…" she nearly growled as she entered into the house and headed upstairs to her room.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Cindy followed after her. "What'd he do? Who was that guy?"

"Steve," Cherry replied carelessly as she sat down on her bed. Her anger was slowly ebbing away, but it was obvious she was still bothered by her boyfriend's actions. "He's a Greaser…"

"Obviously. But why did Bob act that way?"

Cherry sighed softly as she glanced toward her cousin, noticing the genuine look of concern and curiosity on her face. Deciding it would be best to confide in her cousin, she situated herself on her bed and looked at Cindy calmly. "Steve is a Greaser, like Ponyboy, and Bob is a Soc, like you and I. He takes it far more seriously though than what I do. You see, I used to be that way, but one evening at the movies I met Ponyboy and all of a sudden I realized they weren't so bad. They're people just like we are. Ever since then, I've been talking to them off and on all over town whenever people aren't looking and they're slowly becoming my friends, somewhat. I guess I just don't want to see them get hurt or anything…"

"I see…"

"No you don't, Cindy…" Cherry replied quietly as a small smile appeared on her lips. "Just promise me you won't get mixed up in things like this. It's easier to just stay with your social class and leave the others alone. It's not as stressful or as painful…"

"I promise…" Cindy muttered, her eyes drifting to look at the floor before she looked back toward her cousin. She couldn't be certain if Cherry was serious or not about the promise, but she knew for certain that she most likely would break it sooner or later.


	5. Chapter 5

The moonlight drifted in through the partially drawn curtains, allowing the light to hit against Cindy's face. Her eyes laid closed, her mind somewhere deep in her subconscious thoughts. That is, until she heard footsteps passing her doorway. Within an instant, she sat up in her bed, her eyes turning to look uncertainly at the door before she looked toward the clock. She had fallen asleep doing her homework and now it was 11:00 in the evening.

Wondering who could be moving about so late at night, she pushed herself out of bed and headed toward the door to her room. Pulling it open quietly, she glanced in the direction of her aunt and uncle's room to make certain they were asleep before she snuck out into the hallway. Her footsteps were quiet as she followed the person in front of her and as she neared the top of the stairs she caught sight of her cousin's red hair.

A look of confusion appeared on her face as she watched Cherry slip out the front door quietly. As the door closed behind her cousin, Cindy quickly hurried down the staircase and had soon slipped out into the night as well. It didn't take her long to spot her cousin walking down the street and soon she had hurried to catch up with her. Slowing her pace down, Cindy fell into step beside her cousin, remaining silent for a few moments.

"What're you doing, Sherri?" she questioned in confusion. She wasn't exactly certain what to make of Cherry's evening escape from the house, mostly since her cousin had seemed so rule-abiding before.

"No where important…"

"Are you going to meet Bob?"

A cold laugh escaped from Cherry's lips, apparently she hadn't forgiven Bob from earlier that day. "No. Go home, Cindy, you'll be a lot safer there."

"No thanks, I want to know what's going on…"

"Nothing…"

Cindy allowed a look of disbelief to appear on her face as she continued walking beside her cousin. In the moonlight she could make out the determination on Cherry's face, letting her know something was definitely wrong.

"Are you okay?"

Cherry glanced at her, a small look of confusion passing over her face. It appeared that she had been lost in her thoughts and Cindy's words had brought her back to reality. As the confusion disappeared from her face, Cherry allowed a small smile to appear on her lips. "I'm fine, Cindy. Really."

"You don't look fine."

"I am fine," Cherry repeated, laughing softly. "I'm just going to go meet a few people, that's all."

"Well, I might as well come along too. I should get to know a few more people, shouldn't I?"

Cherry sighed softly before shaking her head. "Not these people, Cindy…"

A surprised look appeared on her face as she stopped walking suddenly, catching her cousin's hint. "You mean, you're going to meet…"

She didn't have to finish her statement, though, for Cherry nodded in confirmation. The look of surprise changed to one of confusion as Cindy caught up with her cousin once more. What was driving Cherry to go and meet up with the people she had warned Cindy to stay away from?

Before she could ask her cousin, though, Cherry had stopped walking and Cindy had followed suit. Standing a few yards away from them stood a couple of guys who appeared to be in deep conversation. The first one, it seemed, was the same guy from the DX station earlier that day. The second one, though, was too far in the shadows for Cindy to make out.

As they heard their approach, though, the boys' ended their conversation and turned their attention toward Cherry. Entering into the moonlight, the two guys looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. However, Cherry remained silent as she attempted to think of a way to start the conversation that she had been planning out since she had gotten home that afternoon.

"You're a bit out of your territory…" the guy from the DX warned as he lit a cigarette. Cherry, whose expression remained calm, merely nodded in response.

"I know…"

"Why're you here?"

Cherry sighed as she shrugged, looking at the ground briefly before looking back toward the Greasers. "I was just coming to make certain you and Bob hadn't decided anything earlier today…"

"Decided something?" the guy replied, a slight laugh escaping from his lips. "No we ain't decide nothin'. There's nothin' to decide…"

"Are you…" Cherry began, but stopped, noticing the guy's companion was looking toward her cousin in slight distrust. Suddenly remembering that neither of them knew her, Cherry sighed slightly. "This is Cindy, my cousin. She's fine. She won't tell anyone anything…" she reassured.

The guy who had been speaking earlier nodded before he glanced toward his friend. Hitting his friend slightly, a smirk crossed over his lips before he turned back to Cherry and her cousin.

"I'm Steve. This here is Sodapop…" he introduced, getting all the technicalities out of the way before he turned his attention fully back to Cherry. "Now, the Soc wanted to have a rumble 'cause we crossed onto their turf a few nights ago and picked up a few of their girls…"

"A rumble over that?"

"Yeah, well Socs will be Socs. Get mad over the stupidest shit…" Steve replied, as he finished off his cigarette and dropped it onto the ground. Killing the remaining light on it, he let a smirk appear on his lips once more. "We ain't gonna rumble yet, though, they ain't done nothin' to us yet."

"Good…" Cherry replied. Cindy glanced at her, taking in her cousin's tone, apparently she was relieved, but why should she be? Bob seemed like he was able to take care of himself and the two in front of her seemed perfectly capable as well. "Well just stay off our side, Steve. I hate seeing fights and I don't want to know that one happened…" she finally stated, trying to end the conversation before it became even more awkward.

Steve merely nodded, not promising anything. There was no way he could avoid a fight if one came along and he thought Cherry would've known that by now. Glancing once more at his friend then back toward Cherry, he gave another slight nod, indicating that he was done with the conversation. "You better get back to your turf…" he warned, his eyes glancing over his shoulder as a voice hollered toward the two Greasers. "That's Shepard's outfit and they don't like Socs around…"

Cherry nodded slowly, "Thanks, Steve…" she replied, a small smile crossing her lips.

Steve only gave her a slight nod before he hit Sodapop, who had remained silent throughout the conversation. Soda's eyes flashed toward his friend before he glanced over his shoulder, noticing the oncoming group. "Eh, nice meeting you…" he muttered a small smile crossing his face before he turned on his heel and headed after his friend.

As they left, Cherry sighed slightly, running her fingers through her red-hair. "I hope they don't start anything anytime soon…"

"Why?" Cindy questioned quietly, her eyes fixated on the retreating backs. "They look capable enough…"

"That's not what I'm worried about," Cherry replied before glancing at her cousin. She noticed the rather dazed look in Cindy's eyes and as she glanced in the direction her cousin was watching she sighed. Her cousin, it appeared, had been taken in by the Greaser's smile and by the looks of things, Cherry wouldn't be able to save her from the boy in time.


	6. Chapter 6

The following days all collided together in Cindy's mind. The lectures of the teachers, the gossiping of the students, the constant walking back and forth to lessons had become so jaded and uninteresting that Cindy couldn't separate them from one another. Finding this to be problematic, Cindy remained silent most of the time as she attempted to separate her thoughts and this continued on until Friday.

As the last day of the school week finally arrived, Cindy walked along the hallway, her school books held tightly against her body. She could hardly believe her first week of misery was gone and that she only had a couple months left until Christmas break finally arrived. It had seemed to go by so slow in the beginning but now that the first week was over, she was hoping it'd go by faster.

As this thought passed through her mind, Cindy sat quietly under the tree on the school grounds. A look of disgust appeared briefly on her face as she picked at the meal she had packed for herself. Her aunt and uncle rarely had anything good in the house so she was always forced to fix some type of sandwich that she never really did enjoy. Sighing softly as she pulled the bread away from the strange meat and as she observed the oddness of it, she heard footsteps approaching her.

Within a moment, her eyes had flashed up and a small smile played across her lips. Watching as Ponyboy sat down across from her, Cindy resituated herself and allowed her eyes to rest on him for a few moments. "Hi…" she finally stated, uncertain of what else to say. She hadn't really talked much to him since her first day and he didn't seem the type to automatically come up and start a conversation with someone.

"Hey…"

"Um, how're you?"

"Fine…" he replied, his eyes turning toward the ground as he began to pick at the grass. "How're you?"

A smile reappeared on her face as she laughed softly, "I'm fine…" she replied. She couldn't help but laugh when she was nervous, but she realized she probably should've tried a bit harder to stop herself whenever she saw his eyes flash towards her.

As she gazed into his greenish-gray eyes, Cindy found herself unable to think of anything else to say. Biting lightly on her lower lip, she smiled to herself before looking away and at the sandwich that rested in front of her. As the awkwardness began to grow between them, she was urging herself to say something, but nothing would come to her mind.

Luckily, though, he seemed to be feeling the same way and had decided to get another topic started. "How do you like the school?"

"Oh it's fine. I don't know many people yet…"

"Oh…" Pony replied, his eyes glancing toward the school before he looked back toward her. "I'd figure Cherry would've introduced you to lots of people…"

Cindy merely shook her head, a small sigh escaping her lips. "No, the only people I've met were her boyfriend, you and a few other people…" For some reason, she felt awkward telling Ponyboy about the two Greasers she had met a few nights previous and yet, as he nodded his head, she was uncertain why.

"What're you doing this weekend?" his voice questioned once more, bringing her out of her thoughts.

A look of mild surprise appeared on her face as she looked at him, noticing the sheepish look that had appeared on his face. Apparently her look had made him nervous about his question. However, to ease the tension, she let a smile appear on her face once more before shrugging.

"Maybe unpacking. I don't know really. What about you?"

"Going to a rodeo…"

"A rodeo?" she questioned, her smile widening. "I used to go to those all the time in Texas."

"Really? They got them there too?"

"Of course," she replied, laughing.

Watching as a smile appeared on Ponyboy's face, Cindy was just about to compliment him on it when she heard footsteps approaching once more. Glancing up, she sighed as she saw her cousin heading in her direction and not far behind her cousin came Bob and one of his friends.

"You better go…" she muttered, watching as Ponyboy glanced over his shoulder in the Socs' direction.

Nodding slightly, he pushed himself up and gave her another small smile. "I'll see you around, alright?"

"Yeah, alright," Cindy replied with a smile before she watched him walk off. Trying to compose herself, Cindy was hardly aware that her cousin had sat down across from her until she heard the sound of Cherry's voice.

"What were you doing?"

"Talking…"

Cherry sighed, apparently becoming tired of telling her cousin repeatedly to stay away from the Greasers. However, there wasn't time to say anything else for Bob and his friend had arrived. As they sat down around Cherry and her cousin, Cindy glanced at them in slight distaste. They hadn't been exactly the greatest bunch of people to hang around with, but she had to endure their conversations and their presence.

"Hey, Cindy…"

"Hello, Bob…"

"This is Mark," he introduced, nodding to a rather muscular guy that had taken a seat beside him.

Cindy glanced in the direction of the other boy, smiling politely before she glanced at her cousin. Cherry, however, shrugged uncertainly before she glanced toward Bob and Mark. Apparently they had already planned something out and they weren't leaving until they had carried out their plan.

"Um, hello Mark…" Cindy replied, recalling that she hadn't said anything to him yet. "How're you?"

"Fine…" his reply came before he smiled at her. "What're you and your cousin doing tomorrow?"

Cindy glanced at her cousin, who merely shrugged in reply. "Nothing apparently…" Cindy replied, turning her gaze back on Mark. "Why?"

Mark, whose gaze had drifted off in the direction Ponyboy had gone, turned his attention back to her. "I was wondering if you and your cousin would like to go on a double-date…"

"I…"

Cherry, however, was faster than her cousin. "We'd love to."

"Great," Bob announced, as if he had been waiting for the ordeal to be over with so he could leave. "We'll pick you up tomorrow morning. I've got to go, I'll see you later…" he said, kissing Cherry's cheek before jumping up and heading back toward the school.

As Mark followed after him, Cindy glanced toward her cousin in annoyance. "Why'd you do that? I don't want to go with him!"

"It's for your own good."

"My own…oh that's just hilarious, Cherry…" she muttered before getting up and heading toward the school. She had other things to do than sit around and listen to her cousin.

Sighing as her cousin walked off, Cherry glanced toward the school. She was confused on what to do and although she knew what the more acceptable thing to do was, she couldn't help but think that she was only injuring her cousin more than helping her.


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday morning came earlier that Cindy had expected. Like every other night, she had fallen asleep doing her homework and awoke to the sound of her cousin knocking on her bedroom door. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Cherry was in a hurry, yet just to spite her, Cindy moved extremely slowly while getting ready.

She was still annoyed at her cousin for setting her up with Mark and she wasn't going to forgive her over night. Sighing softly as she finally finished getting ready, Cindy observed herself in the mirror briefly before heading downstairs and sitting opposite of her uncle at the dinner table. The conversation at breakfast was scarce as she ate her food quietly and her uncle read the morning newspaper. Cherry, who had been in such a hurry, was nowhere to be found and didn't reappear until Bob honked the car horn, indicating it was time for them to leave.

As Cindy grabbed a sweater from the coat rack, she glanced in annoyance at her cousin before exiting into the morning sunlight. Cherry, who had caught on by now that Cindy was annoyed with her, remained silent as she climbed into the passenger seat. Glancing over the back of it, she looked at her cousin who rested behind her.

"Come on, Cindy, smile…" she said quietly, glancing toward Mark who appeared to be deep within his own thoughts. "It won't be that bad. Just a few hours and then we'll be home and you can scream and fuss at me as much as you want over this.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Sherri…"

"Oh come on, Cindy, it's obvious you don't want to be here…" Cherry whispered as Bob glanced in her direction.

Cindy merely shook her head in denial before she glanced out the window. How was she supposed to act nicely toward someone that she didn't even know or have any sort of interest in? In all honesty, she had a feeling Mark was a slob and wouldn't be too caring towards her anyways. Sighing softly to herself, though, she realized there was no escape from the situation now and resigned herself to the events coming up.

As this resolution occurred, she could feel Mark taking her hand in his and a slight glance in his direction gave away his thoughts almost instantly. A forced smile appeared on Cindy's lips and as the car came to a halt she almost jumped out and headed in the direction of all the people.

"Where are we?" she questioned suddenly as she stopped. Observing the area before her, she felt her heart sink slowly.

"The rodeo. It's the place to be right now," Bob replied to her question as his arm wrapped around Cherry's shoulders. Feeling Mark do the same to her, Cindy glanced toward her cousin who merely shrugged in reply.

"Do we have to come to the rodeo, Bob?"

"What do you mean? You love the rodeo…"

"Yeah, but Cindy might not."

Bob glanced toward Cindy, who was looking around her carefully. "She looks content enough to me."

Cherry sighed softly as she nodded slowly. Allowing Bob to lead her in the direction of the food court, it didn't take her long to spot the group of friends he usually hung out with.

"Eh, excuse me for a minute, Cherry…" he said before pulling Mark in the direction of the other guys.

Cherry, who could only nod, was soon listening to her cousin's whispers.

"Let's get out of here, Cherry."

"Why?"

"Because…" she whispered, glancing over her shoulder. "Ponyboy said he was coming to the rodeo today…"

A small look of alarm passed through Cherry's eyes as she glanced at her cousin swiftly. "Are you sure?"

"Positive…"

"Well, maybe they've already left…" Cherry muttered, sounding like she was attempting to convince herself more than she was her cousin.

Cindy shrugged slightly as she looked around. Not spotting Ponyboy, though, she figured that her cousin was actually correct for once and finally let the situation drift from her mind. "Come on, let's walk around. I'm tired of just standing around waiting for them…" she muttered, glancing in the direction of Bob and his friends.

Cherry, who also glanced in their direction, nodded slowly as a small smile appeared on her face. "Let's go…" she decided as she took hold of her cousin's arm and led her toward the practice ring. Leaning against the fence, Cindy watched as a guy rode the back of a rather wild-looking horse. A small smile came to her face as she recalled the few times in her past she had watched her friends saddle bronc, but these thoughts were dashed from her mind as she heard her cousin's sharp intake of breath.

"What?" Cindy asked, glancing toward her cousin in concern. However, Cherry's eyes were on the guy that had hopped onto the back of the horse after the other guy had fallen off. Glancing in the direction her cousin was, Cindy quickly recognized the guy as the same one she had met the night her cousin had snuck out. The name, for the moment, escaped her, but the looks he had weren't common and so he was easily recognized.

"Is that…"

"Yeah, a Greaser…" Cherry whispered, her eyes wide. "That means the others are around here somewhere close."

"How do you…" Cindy began, but felt an arm slide around her waist. Glancing to the side of her, she spotted Mark who was grinning at her.

"Hey…"

"Hi…" she replied, smelling the alcohol on his breath. Now realizing what he and Bob had been doing with the other group, Cindy glanced toward her cousin who had a cold expression in her eyes.

"What're you two watchin'?" Mark questioned, ignoring the glance that Cindy had thrown in her cousin's direction. Shaking her head, Cindy turned back toward the Greaser riding the horse.

"Just watching them practice…"

"Ah…" Mark replied, taking another sip from his drink before he glanced to the side of him. A glare quickly appeared on his face. "Hey Bob…" he growled, hitting his friend slightly. "Look whose here."

Bob, along with Cherry and Cindy, glanced in the direction that Mark was looking. A dangerous look appeared in Bob's eyes as Cindy glanced toward her cousin quickly. It didn't take much to figure out that both Socs had spotted Ponyboy looking in their direction and Cindy had a feeling it wouldn't stop with just the glares.

"Bob, don't…" Cherry whispered, grabbing onto his arm. Bob, however, had other things on his mind and after ripping his arm out of her grasp he headed in the direction of Ponyboy and his friend.

"What're you lookin' at Greaser?" Bob growled, his already bloodshot eyes radiating with anger.

Ponyboy, whose eyes had been focused on Cindy and her cousin, glanced back toward Bob. A cold look passed over Ponyboy's face as he slouched slightly, taking on the defensive reflex he and the rest of his friends apparently had.

"Nothin.."

Bob shook his head slightly as he took a step closer to Ponyboy, "I asked you what you're lookin' at…"

"Nothin…" Ponyboy repeated, glancing in the direction of his friend. His friend, however, remained motionless until he heard approaching footsteps.

Glancing up, Ponyboy caught sight of Steve and Sodapop, who had just come away from the horses.

"What's goin' on here?" Steve questioned, his eyes flashing between Bob and Ponyboy. "You gotta problem?"

"Yeah. Gotta problem with you Greasers eyeing people you shouldn't be."

"What're you talkin' about?"

Bob, however, ignored Sodapop's question as his eyes flashed back towards Ponyboy. "Keep yourself far away from them, alright? They don't want nothing to do with trash."

Ponyboy's eyes flashed slightly before he felt himself being pushed backwards. A look of confusion passed over his face briefly as Steve swung at the Soc, who had backed away just in time. Laughing slightly, Bob shook his head, draining his drink. "Come on, Grease. You want a fight?"

"Yeah, I want a fight."

"Come on…" Bob challenged, dropping the drink he was holding.

Mark, however, stepped between the two of them as Sodapop grabbed onto his best friend. "Let's get outta here, Bob, they aren't worth it…" Mark muttered, glancing around at a few people who had stopped to watch the fight.

Steve, who was struggling to get out of Soda's grasp, lunged at Mark. "Scared, Soc?"

"Not at all," Mark replied coldly as he glanced toward Ponyboy and then over his shoulder. "Just keep away from the girls on our side of town. If you can't, we might have to make something of it," he remarked, a smirk appearing on his face.

For the first time, Steve and Soda caught sight of Cherry and Cindy standing at the edge of the fence where the saddle bronc riding was still going on. A look of brief confusion passed through both their eyes before Soda glanced toward Ponyboy with a slight smile. "Eh, get lost…" he muttered, glancing back toward Mark who merely shrugged.

As Mark and Bob reapproached them and took their hands, Cindy glanced over her shoulder at the Greasers. Something about them was just too interesting for her to ignore and that wasn't something she was going to deny.

*****************

As the Socs walked away, Soda turned to look at his brother with a grin on his face.

Looking at him, Ponyboy let a small look of confusion pass over his face. "What?"

"Nothing…"

"It ain't nothin'. What're you giving me that look for?"

Sodapop merely shrugged as he glanced off in the direction of the Socs. "Not a bad choice in girls, Pony. You've got good taste…"

Ponyboy looked at his brother before looking at the ground, a bit uncertain of what to say to his brother's remark. Yet, as he drifted into his thoughts, he smiled slightly to himself. If Soda approved then that must mean something.

However, it never occurred to Ponyboy that his brother was still watching the retreating backs and the tone he had used in his compliment wasn't one that Pony should overlook too quickly. Sodapop, although impressed with his younger brother, was having similar thoughts as Ponyboy for a brief moment.


	8. Chapter 8

The hours seemed to drift by slowly after Cindy and her cousin had left the rodeo. Cherry, it was obvious, was still furious with the two boys and no words were spoken as they drove around town. As evening came, Bob finally stopped in front of the Valance residence and Cherry quickly got out. Following after her, Cindy smiled politely at Bob and Mark before she slammed the car door shut and hurried to the front door of the house.

As she listened to the car zoom off into the night, Cindy sighed softly and glanced toward her cousin. Cherry's eyes were staring coldly after the car and she didn't turn from the window until her boyfriend's car was out of sight.

Even after the car was gone, the silence remained between them as Cindy followed her cousin upstairs. It wasn't until they had reached the doors of their bedrooms did Cherry even let a sigh escape from her lips.

Glancing towards her, Cindy was uncertain of what to say. It was obvious her cousin was annoyed with everything that had happened and Cindy couldn't help but feel that it was slightly her fault. Why hadn't she told her cousin that Ponyboy had mentioned the rodeo? Why had she been so afraid to confide in her cousin? Was it because Cherry showed a general dislike toward the Greasers when anyone else was around or did Cindy simply like the fact that she knew something her cousin didn't?

As the thoughts drifted through her mind, Cindy watched as a look of uncertainty appeared on Cherry's face. Apparently there was some type of internal struggle going on that simply was tearing her cousin apart.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…" Cherry replied quietly as she glanced toward her cousin, giving her a forced and almost unbelievable smile.

Cindy shook her head slowly as a frown appeared on her lips. "No you aren't…"

"I'm fine, Cindy…"

Deciding it would probably be easier to just accept her cousin's answer, Cindy let the conversation go as she pushed open the door to her room. Before she could enter it, though, she heard Cherry's voice from behind her.

"Cindy…"

"Yeah?"

"Stay away from them…" she said quietly as she glanced at her cousin. "You don't know what you'll be getting into if you don't…"

Cindy nodded slowly before she looked at the ground, debating on asking her cousin something that had been bothering her for awhile now. Finally deciding it was now or never, Cindy turned her eyes toward Cherry once more. "Hey Sherri…"

"Yeah?"

"Do you care about them?" Cindy questioned, knowing that her question was sort of vague. However, she couldn't help but think that her cousin had a small interest in the group of East-side boys.

"Who?"

"You know…" Cindy replied, glancing along the hallway. She knew the devastating trouble that would most likely ensue if her uncle or aunt heard her mention the name. Sure, her uncle and aunt may not have been classified as Socs, but they most likely disliked everyone on the East-side as much as her cousin's friends did.

As she glanced toward her cousin, Cindy realized that Cherry had frozen with her hand on the doorknob to her room. Realizing she most likely should've kept her mouth shut, Cindy was about to apologize whenever Cherry turned around to look at her.

The expression on Cherry's face was unreadable as she let a small smile pass over her lips. "I…" she began, biting lightly on her lower lip before letting a bigger smile appear on her face. "They're my friends in a sense and I just don't want anything to happen to them…"

"Oh."

"Cindy, don't get trapped in the game. The Greasers don't have any friends on the West side and I don't think they want any. They only act decent because they have to, not because they want to…"

"You really believe that?" Cindy questioned, looking at her cousin in slight surprise.

Cherry, however, shook her head before a soft laugh escaped her lips. "No, not really. But I'm trying to make myself believe it…" she replied.

A look of confusion passed through Cindy's eyes. However, her cousin didn't seem to want to explain her words and quickly wished Cindy a 'good night' before hurrying off into her room. As Cherry's door shut, Cindy was left to think about the day's events, the results of what had happened, and perhaps her future in regards to the East-side boys.

**************

Darry sat quietly in the house, his eyes scanning over a newspaper he had picked up on his way home from work. As he read over the story of a teenager that had risked his life to save that of an animal, he merely shook his head. He was tired of reading about the West-side kids and their 'heroic' actions, mostly after they came and jumped his friends.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Darry crumpled the paper up and tossed it onto the floor beside his chair. Leaning back against the seat, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the brief silence that existed inside the house. Both his brothers had gone to the rodeo for the day and for once he was thankful they were gone. It had been so long since he had had any relaxation time.

However, before he knew it, the screen door flew open and then slammed shut, causing his eyes to flash open. His cold eyes drifted toward the door and watching as Johnny Cade stood there, he merely shook his head. There was nothing he could say to Johnny, mostly since he hardly answered him whenever he did talk to him. Darry was saved the trouble of having to break the awkward silence, though, because not far behind Johnny he could hear his younger brother's voice drifting through the night.

"Should've beat them Socs. They ain't supposed to show up on our side of town and then try to jump us…" Sodapop was saying, his voice louder than normal.

"Would've stomped them good."

"You wouldn't have had a chance," Ponyboy's voice interjected as he entered the house, followed by Steve and Sodapop.

A glare passed over Steve's face as he glanced at Ponyboy, taking in the intended insult. "And that's the kinda thanks I get for stickin' up for you?"

"You ain't stick up for me. You was showin' off."

"Showin' off for who!?" Steve demanded, listening to Soda chuckle behind him.

Pony rolled his eyes before heading off to the kitchen with Johnny, leaving Steve's question unanswered. Mumbling curses under his breath, Steve fell back onto the couch as Soda flipped on the television.

After a few moments, Steve glanced toward his best friend, debating on asking a question. Deciding it couldn't hurt anything, he cleared his throat slightly. "You don't think I was tryin' to show off, do ya?"

Sodapop merely shrugged in reply before he glanced at his friend, "You see them?"

"Yeah I saw them."

"Then yeah you was tryin' to show off."

"What you mean?"

"I mean if I was you I'd have shown off…" Soda replied, uncertain of what he had actually meant. "So that means you hadda be showin' off…"

Steve shook his head slightly before he turned his attention back to the television set. There was little else to say on the topic, however, he was certain he hadn't been showing off. After all, why would he? He'd seen Cherry Valance before and he'd seen the other girl before. However, before he could work out his thoughts, his attention had been caught by the action on the television screen.

As the bickering between the two Greasers on the couch subsided, Darry turned his attention to the television screen. There was no more silence for him at the moment, just the sound of his brothers and his friends arguing over things that, like always, made little sense to him.

**A/N: Please leave a review or something and let me know what you think so far. I'd really like to have some feedback to know if I should keep going or not. Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

The memories of the weekend flashed through Cindy's mind repeatedly throughout the first few school days of the following week. Nothing that she did was able to erase the image of Mark and Bob's faces and the expressions the Greasers wore when they were cornered. It seemed almost unnatural to her that such people could hate each other so passionately. As this thought and realization passed through her mind, a small sigh escaped her lips. Turning her attention toward her teacher, she attempted to focus on the lesson at hand but found it was impossible; the Greasers had gotten into her mind and she couldn't seem to get them out.

As the teacher's words drifted around her, though, Cindy found herself drifting into her own personal daydream. There were so many thoughts that were passing through her mind and she had a feeling she probably shouldn't be thinking of half of them. She shouldn't be thinking of the golden-haired Greaser who had ridden the bucking horse. She shouldn't be thinking of Ponyboy's expression as he glanced in her and Cherry's direction. She shouldn't even be thinking of Mark's reaction toward Ponyboy's glances.

Everything, though, seemed to mix and blend together and by the time she escaped the classroom she wasn't certain of what to think anymore. She did know one thing for sure, though, she was definitely getting in too deep with the Greasers already and she hadn't even said more than a few words to them here and there.

Sighing in spite of herself, Cindy walked along the hallway and headed toward the lunchroom. Her feet led her instantly toward a back table and after sitting down, she looked at the unappetizing food in front of her. A frown crossed her face as she debated on attempting to digest the junk or not whenever she heard a set of footsteps heading in her direction.

Part of her, as she glanced up, hoped that her eyes would fall onto Ponyboy. However, that hope was soon dashed away whenever her cousin sat across with her. Avoiding Cherry's gaze, Cindy turned back to the food in front of her as she attempted to convince herself it was really edible.

"What's wrong?" Cherry's quiet voice came as Cindy glanced at her briefly before looking back at her food.

"Nothing…"

"You're worse than I am at lying," Cherry replied simply as she picked up some of her food and took a bite out of it. Cindy had to prevent herself from gagging as she watched her cousin eat the cafeteria lunch. Cherry, however, was apparently still on the same thought topic as she had been earlier. "So really, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Sherri. I'm fine."

Cherry shook her head slowly before pushing the food away from her. It was disgusting. "Are you going to play this 'nothing's wrong game' much longer? I'm trying to be a good cousin here and listen to your problems. If you can't tell me, then we're going to have issues getting along."

"I know," Cindy replied, frowning before she glanced toward her cousin. "I keep thinking about the rodeo."

"What about it?"

"You know…"

A look of realization passed briefly over Cherry's face before she shook her head slowly. "Just forget about them, Cindy. Stop thinking about them. Stop looking at them…" she muttered, glancing in the direction that Ponyboy had just walked. "Socs aren't that bad of people and Mark might make a good boyfriend for you."

"Oh Cherry, come off it," Cindy replied, looking at her cousin. "I can see the misery in your eyes whenever Bob's around. You don't like him anymore than I like Mark…"

A hurt expression passed over Cherry's face as she remained silent, taking in the remark. Realizing she had probably made a mistake in her accusation, Cindy was about to open her mouth to apologize when she heard her cousin let a soft laugh escape her lips.

"You're right. I don't like him anymore…" Cherry admitted as she looked toward her cousin. "He used to be so sweet and understanding. But he's changed ever since the Greasers have become more outgoing and daring. He's not the same guy I fell in love with…"

Cindy, who was at a loss for words at her cousin's statement, could only nod silently as she attempted to think of something that would change the topic. However, before she was able to, Cherry had risen from her spot and had grabbed her plate.

"Where are you going?" Cindy questioned, watching as Cherry's eyes flashed briefly toward her.

"To class. This stuff is disgusting. I'll see you later," Cherry replied, a fake smile appearing on her face before she hurried off.

As her cousin disappeared into the crowd, Cindy sighed softly. What had she done to her cousin?

* * *

The car ride home was unbearably quiet as Cindy sat in the passenger seat. Cherry's eyes were focused on the road ahead and no matter how many times Cindy attempted to start a conversation with her it never seemed to work. Sighing softly, Cindy turned her eyes out of the window and watched as the trees flashed by slowly.

As her mind began to drift off toward her previous daydreams, she was unaware that the car was slowing down until she heard Cherry's annoyed mutterings coming from beside her. Turning to look at her cousin, Cindy noticed that the car had apparently died.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know…" Cherry replied quietly, trying to restart the engine. However, the engine wouldn't turn over and the car remained motionless. Leaning back in her seat, Cherry stared unseeingly at the steering wheel before she glanced toward her cousin. "You know, I've been thinking about what you said earlier…"

"And?"

"I don't know. I keep thinking of how me and Bob were before all this stuff happened and I guess I just want to believe that's how things are going to be again…" she confided quietly. "I'm crazy to think that aren't I?"

Cindy shrugged slightly; she couldn't exactly tell her cousin what to expect of Bob. Cindy didn't know Bob. She was saved the trouble, however, for she heard the engine turn over and the car start up. Resting back against her seat, the silence resumed between them as the car continued on its way. However, knowing it wouldn't last long, Cherry changed the direction she had previously been traveling in and whenever Cindy looked out the window, she caught sight of the familiar sign of the DX station.

"What're you doing?" she questioned uncertainly as her cousin got out of the car. Receiving no response, though, Cindy too got out and followed her cousin toward the front of the store.

As the sunlight was blocked by the canopy, Cindy could barely make out the Greasers they had seen at the rodeo. Watching as the two boys ended their conversation abruptly, Cindy allowed a small, polite smile to appear on her face. She wasn't certain what to say to them and they seemed just as confused by the approach.

"How can I help you?" Steve questioned, leaning back against the wall of the station.

"My car died, I was wondering if you could look at it and see what the problem is."

Steve shrugged slightly as he glanced toward his best friend; noticing that Sodapop wasn't paying much attention to the conversation though, Steve turned his attention back to Cherry with a small nod. "Sure, why not. We'll check it out."

Cherry nodded slowly as an awkward silence emerged between them. Unable to help herself, Cindy glanced toward Sodapop, smiling to herself as he returned her gaze.

"Can we give you guys a lift home?" Soda questioned suddenly, his eyes turning towards Cherry.

A look of uncertainty appeared on Cherry's face as she glanced toward her cousin, debating on what to say in response to the question. Cindy, who returned her cousin's gaze, placed a pleading look into her eyes briefly. Sighing in resignation to her cousin's silent plea, Cherry turned back to look at the Greasers with a small nod.

"Sure, that'd be great…"

"I'll get my car," Steve replied, glancing toward his friend before he headed off to the back to get the broken down car that he drove. Within a few minutes he was back and before she knew it, Cindy was listening to her cousin whispered words.

"How did I let you talk me into this?"

"Into what?"

"Into letting them bring us to the West-side," Cherry hissed, her eyes flashing toward the two friends in the front seat. "They'll get jumped for sure…"

As this realization crossed Cindy's mind, she leaned over the front seat, glancing between the two of them before she allowed her eyes to settle on Sodapop's composed face. "Um, you can stop here. We can walk the rest of the way…"

"You sure?" Soda questioned, turning to look at her in surprise. "We don't mind bringin' you."

"No, I'm sure," Cindy replied, giving him an appreciative smile. "Thanks for the ride…"

"Anytime."

Smiling to herself, Cindy exited the car and watched silently as the two Greasers drove off toward their side of town. Glancing toward her cousin, Cindy couldn't help but grin. She was pleased with herself, to say the least.

* * *

"What kinda trick was that to pull on me?" Steve muttered as he drove toward the Curtis house. His eyes flashed briefly toward his friend before he looked straight ahead again. "What were you tryin' to do?"

"Nothin'"

"Nothin'? You tryin' to get on good terms with that girl?"

Soda glanced toward Steve, a smile flickering across his handsome face before he shook his head. "'Course I ain't."

"Hell…" Steve muttered, "You gonna get it. Gonna get it good if you ever pull that kinda thing again."

"And whose gonna get me?" Soda joked, grinning. "Them two Socs? You should be thankin' me. You been admiring Cherry for awhile and I got her in your car. You should be thankin' me, Steve, not screamin'."

Steve let a smirk cross over his face as he glanced toward his friend. "Alright…you got me," he said, laughing slightly as he stopped in the yard. "But you ain't gonna tell no one 'bout it?"

"Ain't gonna tell no one."

"Good…" Steve replied as he jumped out of the car and headed toward the front door. As he listened to the noise that greeted him, he couldn't help but chide himself for letting his thoughts become so apparent to his best friend. Sodapop would never let him live down the fact that he liked a Soc.


	10. Chapter 10

The noise that usually occupied the station was nonexistent as Sodapop rested beneath the red corvette. A wrench rested lightly between his fingers as he stared up at the numerous items above him. His mind, however, wasn't on the car above him. His thoughts had drifted away from that topic long ago and instead he had found a more relaxing and peaceful topic to dwell on. As this topic began to expand and grow in his mind, he heard the door nearby open and heard approaching footsteps.

As a loud knocking noise sounded above him, Soda sighed before pushing himself out from beneath the car. His eyes turned to look at his best friend as he waited on some sort of explanation. "Can I help you?" he questioned as a grin crossed briefly over his face before it disappeared. He was too far gone in his thoughts to place too much importance on Steve's arrival.

"Question is can I help you," Steve replied calmly as he looked at the car. His hand ran over the red paint before he glanced at his friend. "You ain't done nothin' on it. Did a car finally stump you or are you too preoccupied with somethin' else?"

"I'm fine, just takin' my time."

"Why?"

"Got nothin' else to do today," Sodapop pointed out with a small laugh before he slid back beneath the car. "What're you doin' here so early anyways?"

Steve shrugged slightly as he dropped a few things down on a nearby bench. Glancing around at the deserted place, he remained silent for a few more moments before glancing at his friend again. "Figured you'd want company."

"I'm fine…"

"You ain't fine, Soda. What's buggin' you?"

Sodapop shook his head slowly before sighing. Sliding out from beneath the car once more, he looked at his friend momentarily before getting up. "You ever think about them?"

"Who?"

"You know, the Socs."

"No," Steve replied carelessly as he sat back on the bench. "Why?"

"Don't know, just can't stop thinkin' about them."

"The girls?"

"Yeah.."

Steve shook his head slowly as he let the silence emerge between them once more. He wasn't certain what to say to his friend, mostly after the events that had happened at the rodeo the weekend before.

"Hey Steve."

"Yeah?"

"Think I could call them?" Soda questioned after a few minutes before glancing at his friend uncertainly. Sure, he was good at picking up girls of his own kind, but these girls were different. They were Socs and even he knew that they were most likely out of his league.

Steve shook his head slowly in response to his friend's question, finding no need to explain his answer. It was common sense that Greasers just didn't pick up Socs.

"That's what I thought," Soda replied quietly before returning to what he was doing. "It was a stupid thought anyways," he muttered to himself as he slipped back beneath the car. There was only one problem with the statement he had made, though; he knew it was stupid, yes, but that never had stopped him before. Soda was determined to at least attempt the impossible at least once.

* * *

"How long do you think it'll be before the car is ready?" Cindy asked her cousin quietly as they walked toward Cherry's house. For some reason, Cherry had refused the ride that Bob had offered them and that left Cindy walking in the freezing winter weather. She wasn't accustomed to this kind of cold and she was slightly annoyed at her cousin for denying her the privilege of riding in a car.

"Don't know."

"They didn't tell you?"

Cherry shook her head slowly as they passed by a few middle-class teens who were talking animatedly about something that had happened earlier that day. Sighing softly, Cindy realized her cousin wouldn't continue on with the conversation any longer and therefore she dropped it.

However, it was impossible to forget the cold wind that continued to beat furiously against her face and it was hard to ignore the fact that her body was freezing more than it had ever froze before. Unable to endure the coldness any longer, Cindy began to quicken her pace, hoping it'd at least keep her warm until she reached her aunt and uncle's house.

This theory, though, was incorrect and before she had even made a block she had to slow her pace down once more. Her entire body was shaking by this time and she could tell her cousin was equally as cold. "Cherry, why couldn't we have just ridden in the car?"

"Because…"

"Because why?" she pressed, her teeth chattering slightly. "I'm cold, Cherry, and I'm going to get sick."

"You are not," Cherry chided quickly before she could stop herself. After the realization of what she had just said sank in, though, she sighed softly. "It's just that I'm trying to avoid Bob until I can figure out a way to break up with him."

"You're doing what!?"

"I'm breaking up with him," Cherry repeated. "I just can't take this relationship anymore. He's always drinking or beating people up. It isn't fun anymore and I don't want to be associated with him when he's like this…"

"Oh…" Cindy replied quietly as she continued to walk. "Who're you going to date now?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know…" Cherry replied, a thoughtful look appearing on her face, "Probably no one."

"Could always date a Greaser," Cindy teased, glancing toward her cousin in time to see a smile appear on her face.

"I don't think so."

"Never know," Cindy replied, her thoughts drifting back to the daydreams that had been going through her mind for awhile now. She couldn't help but think about Sodapop and Steve and how well they'd get along with her and her cousin. However, she didn't dare mention these thoughts to Cherry; after all, Greasers were off limits as far as everyone else was concerned.

* * *

Ponyboy sat quietly in the living room, his eyes staring unseeingly at the wall across from him. His thoughts were everywhere, making it impossible for him to focus on any one topic. As he heard footsteps approaching from the kitchen, his eyes flashed quickly toward the intruder and once he recognized the person as Johnny, his gaze turned back toward the wall.

The silence remained between them for a few moments until he heard Johnny walk toward him and felt the area beside him move down some as his friend sat down.

"What's eatin' you?"

Ponyboy, however, only shook his head in reply to his friend's statement. For once, things were reversed. Usually it was him asking Johnny what was wrong and Johnny remaining silent. This time, though, Ponyboy simply couldn't make himself talk.

"Pony…"

"I don't know, Johnny."

Johnny nodded slowly as he rested back against the couch, looking off into space for a few moments before glancing at his friend. "It's them Socs from the rodeo?"

"Guess you could say that."

Johnny nodded once more as he attempted to figure out what else to say to his friend. It seemed, at this moment, that Ponyboy wasn't going to give him a hint to what was wrong and that only meant he had to figure it out on his own.

"Was it them girls?"

"Yeah…"

"The brunette?"

"Yeah…" Ponyboy replied quietly as he glanced toward his friend. "Just can't stop thinkin' bout her."

"You talk to Soda about her?"

Ponyboy slowly shook his head. It was impossible to explain to Johnny just how uncomfortable he felt talking to Sodapop about the new girl. It seemed next to impossible. "I can't."

"Thought you two told each other everything."

"We do, usually, it's just that I can't talk to him about her."

"Oh…" Johnny replied quietly as the screen door flew open.

Glancing up, the two friends watched as Sodapop and Steve entered into the living room. They had apparently called it quits early that day and neither of them seemed to be in too talkative a mood. Deciding that he wasn't going to cause any more noise than there needed to be, Ponyboy remained silent, letting his thoughts get away with him again.


	11. Chapter 11

A cool breeze drifted slowly through the darkening sky. The sound of people talking and laughing was slowly dying out as everyone headed to their final destination for the evening. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of footsteps hurrying along the pavement as people, who were running late, attempted to end their journey before all the entertainment began.

So was the case for Sodapop and Two-Bit as they walked along the sidewalk, heading in the direction of the Nightly Double. The hectic routine and troublesome worries that littered their minds during the school week had disappeared from their thoughts as the two Greasers tossed their quarters to the attendant at the gate and entered the drive-in.

Heading toward the rows of seats that sat neatly on a platform near the concession stand, Sodapop glanced around at the numerous cars that were parked. As his gaze wandered, so did his mind. He couldn't help wondering what the people in the cars were thinking. However, his mind was taken away from this idea as he felt Two-Bit grab his arm and pull him down into the seat beside him.

"What's got you outta your mind?" Two-Bit questioned as he propped his feet up on the chair in front of him. Cocking an eyebrow, he turned his attention toward his friend as he waited for a response.

The response, though, didn't come as Soda took the seat beside him and slowly shook his head. There was one thing he had learned from growing up with Two-Bit: when he was half-drunk, there was no way to have a civilized conversation with him.

"You gettin' eatin' by something…"

Soda let a grin appear on his face as he glanced toward his friend. "Ain't nothin' I'm gonna trust you to give me advice on," he replied jokingly, watching as Two-Bit smiled.

"Smart move, kid."

"I know it…"

As his statement slowly ebbed away into nothing, the silence reemerged between them. Two-Bit was too far gone in his own world to notice that Sodapop was silent, which was just fine with Soda. For once he wanted to think about his own thoughts.

As the noise from the movie began, though, the Greaser found his thoughts being forced from his mind as his attention settled on the screen. The sound of approaching footsteps didn't even tear his attention from the action until he heard an all too familiar voice from behind him.

"Can we join you?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Soda's eyes ran over Cherry's face before he glanced toward her cousin. Smiling slightly, he nodded and moved down a chair, leaving the one between himself and Two-Bit open. As Cherry took the seat between them, Two-Bit's eyes flashed toward her briefly before a grin flicked onto his face.

"What's a girl like you doin' here?" he questioned good-naturedly as he turned his attention toward the film again.

Shrugging slightly, Cherry situated herself in her seat before glancing toward him in amusement. "I heard there were some Greasers here. I thought I'd come and see what I could do about them."

"What're you gonna do then, girl?"

"You'll have to wait and find out," Cherry replied jokingly as she watched the grin on his face grow even wider.

"Can't wait…"

Sodapop, whose attention had been partly focused on the action on the screen and partly on the girl beside him, glanced toward Two-Bit and Cherry in mocked annoyance.

"You two come to talk?" he questioned, his eyes dancing as he watched Two-Bit cock an eyebrow at him.

"I came to get drunk."

Cindy smiled to herself as she glanced down the row at Two-Bit, watching as his eyes expressed his amusement. Before she was able to comment on the remark, she heard Soda's laughter coming from beside her. Glancing toward him, she couldn't help but smile brightly. There was just something about him that made her feel at ease.

"So what're you two doin' here without a car anyways?" Soda questioned, his eyes glancing toward Cindy as the other two settled down. "We gave Cherry her car back yesterday before we closed…"

Cindy shrugged slightly as she looked toward him briefly before looking at the screen. "Just wanted to walk, I guess…" she replied, almost uncertainly. It had been Cherry's idea to walk to the movies, not hers.

Nodding, Soda became silent once more as the plot unraveled on the big screen. The movie, although rather boring, was succeeding in distracting him from his previous worries, that is, until he heard the sound of approaching footsteps once more.

Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes caught sight of his younger brother and Johnny heading down the aisle towards them. However, Ponyboy stopped dead in his tracks as he looked at his brother and then at the person beside him. "Who you got with you, Soda?" he questioned, a look of amusement darting through his eyes. It was just like his brother to pick up some girl for the movies.

As Cindy and Cherry turned around to look at him, though, the amusement disappeared from his eyes completely. For the first time in his life, Ponyboy was at a loss of what to say to his brother. He simply couldn't comprehend what to do now.

"You okay, Pony?" Soda called up, noticing the sudden change in his brother's appearance and personality.

However, Ponyboy decided to remain silent in response to his brother's question, causing Soda to glance toward Two-Bit in slight confusion. Shrugging in response, Two-Bit merely turned back to look at the screen, leaving Soda to look at his brother in confusion. "You wanna come sit with us?" he offered, only to watch Ponyboy shake his head in reply.

Sighing in resignation, Soda turned back around in his chair, the confusion still resting in his dark eyes.

As he watched his brother turn around, Ponyboy crossed his arms over his chest. What was he supposed to do now? Had his brother really picked up the Soc girl? These questions and many others cascaded through his mind as he took a seat in the back row and listened to the dialogue that was being played on the speakers.

Nothing, though, not even the action on the screen was able to distract him from his thoughts and as the second movie began, Ponyboy began to think about just leaving and going back to his house. He would just leave Soda and Cindy there to continue on with whatever they were doing. However, no matter how many times he attempted to convince himself to get up, he never could. He wouldn't let his brother do this to him.

As the anger began to rise slowly in him, Ponyboy caught sight of two figures approaching the platform where they sat. As the figures came into the light, he recognized them almost immediately. Bob and Mark had apparently decided to make their appearance that evening, which would put the final coating on a perfect evening as far as Ponyboy was concerned.

As the two Socs climbed the stairs, Ponyboy could hear Johnny moving uncomfortably next to him. Deciding not to even glance in Johnny's direction, Ponyboy tossed a piece of popcorn at his brother's head, causing Soda to look toward him in slight question. However, no words had to be passed between them, for Soda caught sight of the two Socs heading in his direction.

"Can we help you?" he called out, his eyes flashing dangerously as he watched Bob and Mark stop right in front of them.

"What'd we say about picking up our girls?" Bob questioned, his eyes glancing between the four in the aisle before his gaze drifted toward Ponyboy and Johnny.

"I don't remember," Soda replied calmly, his eyes never leaving Bob's face.

"Get away from them."

"No."

"What'd you say to me, Greaser?" Bob growled, the bottle of beer in his hand beginning to shake as his anger radiated throughout his body.

Two-Bit, who had been attempting to contain his remarks for once, pushed himself out of his chair and headed toward the two Socs. "You got somethin' blockin' your ears?" he questioned, leaning against the support bar. "I think he said 'no'."

"Shut-up, Greaser," Mark hissed, pushing Two-Bit back. "Come on Cindy, let's go…"

Cindy's eyes glanced toward her cousin and for the first time she could see the hatred burning through Cherry's eyes. They had been having a good time and suddenly it was being ruined because two guys wanted to pretend they had control?

Shaking her head slowly, Cindy remained in the chair. A glare passed over Mark's face as he glanced toward Bob. The blood-shot eyes that Bob possessed glanced toward Cherry coldly before he reached out and grabbed onto her wrist. Pulling her out the chair, he glanced toward the four Greasers in annoyance.

"Stay away from them…" he warned, his eyes glancing between Two-Bit and Sodapop before he looked toward the two others a few rows away.

"Let go of her," Two-Bit replied, watching as Cherry struggled to free her wrist from the tight grip Bob had on it.

Shaking his head, Bob began to pull Cherry towards the stairs. However, before he could reach them, he felt Cherry stop behind him. Turning around, his eyes flashed dangerously as he caught sight of Two-Bit holding onto her other arm. "Let her go…" Two-Bit repeated before reaching into his back pocket. Within a minute, he had his switchblade pointed toward Bob, who was eyeing it coolly.

"What're you going to do, Greaser?" Bob questioned icily. "Stab me here in front of witnesses?"

"It's a possibility."

A cold laugh escaped from Bob's lips as he pushed Cherry toward the chair she had previously been sitting in. His eyes remained on Two-Bit as he headed toward him, a cold look apparent in his eyes. "I'm just about tired of you Greasers always getting in our way," he growled, stopping a few feet away from Two-Bit. "I think it's about time you got taught a lesson."

"Whose gonna teach me?" Two-Bit challenged, his eyes dangerous.

"I will," Bob replied before he caught hold of Two-Bit's arm. Knocking the switchblade from his hand, Bob was successful in knocking Two-Bit from the seating platform and onto the ground below. Jumping off after him, Two-Bit found himself getting knocked in the stomach a few times before he was on his feet once more.

As Bob and Two-Bit continued to beat each other senseless, Sodapop had taken the liberty of teaching Mark a few pointers on fighting. As the two hit at each other mercilessly, Cherry pulled her cousin toward the upper rows where Johnny and Ponyboy still sat.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Cherry questioned, glancing toward Ponyboy and Johnny.

Ponyboy, however, only shook his head slowly. "They can handle it…" he replied quietly before pushing himself out of his chair. Glancing toward Johnny, he motioned slightly for him to follow and soon the two had left the stands all together.

Sighing in frustration, Cherry turned back to watch the fight that was occurring below. Strangely, no one else seemed to notice it, which slightly worried her. How much damage could they do to each other before they were stopped? By this time, Soda had successfully gotten to his feet again after being knocked down and was now kicking Mark repeatedly in the side. However, Two-Bit seemed to be having a harder time with his fight.

The blood dripped down around his eyes from a cut to his eyebrow as Two-Bit dodged a few more punches from Bob. Before he could defend himself, though, a cop had grabbed onto Two-Bit's arms, preventing him from going anywhere. All four of the teenage boys had been too preoccupied in the fight to hear the sirens wailing and, for once, Cherry was thankful they had shown up.

"Alright, you two, break it up…" the gruff voice of the cop demanded before he pushed Two-Bit toward the stands once more.

As Two-Bit glanced over his shoulder angrily, he watched as Bob headed off toward the car he had left parked a few spots away. It was obvious from the glare on Two-Bit's face that he wasn't going to let the attack be forgotten; he was ready for his revenge already and he'd have it to.

Luckily, before the cop had even reached the platform, Sodapop had disappeared. Mark, however, was still left on the ground, groaning quietly as he held onto his waist. After the cop surveyed the Soc's condition, his eyes travelled along the stands, trying to find the boy's attacker. However, the only people he spotted were the two Socs that stood silently in the top row.

"Go home, ladies. This isn't a safe place to be tonight," he commented as he helped Mark off the ground and to his squad car.

As the cop and Mark disappeared, Cherry glanced toward her cousin. There was nothing either of them could say and so they remained silent as they headed down the stairs and towards the exit to the drive-in. How were they so unfortunate to find themselves caught in such an event, mostly when all they were looking to do was have a good time? How were they so unlucky to have gotten themselves caught in such a battle that no one seemed to come out on top?

As these thoughts drifted through both their minds, the two girls walked toward Cherry's house, neither of them certain about how they would explain and describe their evening to the owners of the house.


	12. Chapter 12

The sound of the Socs' voices rang throughout his mind as Sodapop walked along the deserted streets with Two-Bit. Beside him, Soda could faintly hear Two-Bit muttering words under his breath; some of the words were created and only he could understand them, yet Sodapop understood that Two-Bit was beyond furious with the events of the night. He honestly, though, couldn't blame him.

As this thought passed through his mind, Soda glanced in the direction of his friend, catching sight of the swollen eye and the blood that trickled along the side of his face. It was obvious the rings that rested on Bob's fingers had cut Two-Bit up real good and the cut to his eye would form into a small scar. Sighing in disgust, Soda turned to look ahead of him, catching sight of his house in the distance.

His eyes glazed over as he returned to the memories of the evening. Then suddenly, a wave of anger radiated throughout his body as his mind fell onto his brother and Johnny. They had both been present when the fight began but they didn't bother to help him. Why was that? Soda had always rushed to help them no matter what and yet Ponyboy had turned his back on him?

As this realization began to course through his mind, he pulled open the screen door and entered into the house. The living room, which seemed to be a safe haven for the gang, was crowded and the chattering voices seemed to fade away as Two-Bit entered behind him. He had a feeling he didn't look all that great, mostly after the fight he had endured on his own, but he didn't think he had gotten beaten that badly.

Before he could say anything, though, Darry was on his feet and in front of him, observing the bruises to his face."What happened to you?" he questioned roughly, as Soda gingerly moved his hand over his bruising cheek.

"Nothin', Darry. I'm fine."

"What happened?" Darry repeated, his gaze having turned toward Two-Bit who had fallen carefully back into the armchair.

"We ran into a wall. Whatcha think happened?" Two-Bit's voice came as he rested his head back against the chair. "That big time Soc that's always hanging out with Cherry came along and got a bit outta control. So we got into a fight."

"Why?"

"What ya mean why?" Soda replied, his attention turning back toward the conversation. "He got mad cause we was sittin' with Cherry and her cousin I guess."

Darry's eyebrows rose slowly as he looked at his younger brother for a few moments before glancing back toward Two-Bit. He was tempted to question their intentions in picking up two Socs, however, he didn't have time. At that moment Ponyboy entered the living room from his room and Soda's eyes flashed toward him dangerously.

The two brothers looked at each other for a few moments, neither saying a word. However, the glares they were giving each other made it evident to the other gang members that something had happened.

"What's goin' on?" Darry questioned, his voice breaking the two brothers from their thoughts. Turning their attention toward their eldest brother, Soda and Ponyboy merely shrugged before turning their gaze onto each other once more.

"Nothin', Darry…" Soda replied calmly, his eyes blazing with anger. "Nothings goin' on at all…"

"Yeah…" Ponyboy replied quietly before he slipped into the jacket he had taken from his room. "I'm goin' out, Darry. I'll be back later…" he stated, almost indifferently as he quickly hurried from the room, making certain to put a good distance between himself and Sodapop.

As the door slammed shut behind him, Soda remained motionless a few minutes as he glanced toward Two-Bit who had become engaged in a conversation with Dallas and Johnny. Deciding that he couldn't stand the thoughts of betrayal that were cascading through his mind any longer, though, Soda turned on his heel and headed out the door.

Catching sight of his brother a few yards away, he ran to catch up and as soon as he could he caught hold of Ponyboy's shirt.

"What kinda trick you tryin' to pull, Pony?" he questioned, attempting to keep the anger from his voice. "What kinda crap was that?"

"What?"

"You know what!" Soda replied as he moved in front of his brother, preventing him from walking any further. "What's the big idea just walkin' away like that?"

"Darry says…"

"You care what Darry says now!?" Soda questioned. "Since when do you walk away from a fight?"

"Since you…" Pony began. However, he stopped, his voice failing him for the moment.

Shaking his head slowly, Ponyboy turned his eyes away from his brother and looked toward the ground, attempting to control his thoughts. There was a part of him that wanted to lash out at Sodapop for picking up the Soc, but there was another part of him that believed Soda had no idea what he was doing. "Why were you with the Soc anyways?" Ponyboy questioned, his eyes turning to look toward his brother as he attempted to lower the hostility in the conversation. "You always say to not get mixed in with them, so why this time?"

Soda sighed slightly, his eyes having turned toward the dark night as he listened to his brother's question. He couldn't explain why he had done what he did. He couldn't voice his thoughts about the Soc, mostly not to Ponyboy. "I don't know…"

"You don't know?" Ponyboy questioned, his eyes flashing slightly. He had a feeling his brother did know and yet was holding back on his thoughts. "You know damn well, Sodapop!"

Soda's eyes flashed dangerously as his brother's voice took on a dangerous tone. He was, at that moment, uncertain as to whom the fourteen-year-old in front of him was. It was as if Ponyboy was no longer himself. Deciding he wasn't going to attempt to converse with his brother anymore that evening, Soda merely shook his head before turning his back toward his brother.

"You know, Pony, if it had been you, I would've jumped in there to help you…" Soda stated coolly, his eyes staring at the house that rested not too far from them. As his words caught Ponyboy's attention, Pony realized there was little to say in response. However, Soda didn't give him time to think of anything either for as the words disappeared into the silence, Pony could hear his brother's footsteps walking away as he returned to the house.

As his brother's footsteps became quieter and quieter, Ponyboy let a small sigh escape from his own lips. All his life he had been there for Sodapop and Sodapop for him. Now, however, everything was changing and for some reason he felt like he was losing the only person that ever really understood him.

* * *

Cindy rested on her bed, her eyes staring at the ceiling above her. Her thoughts were on the events of the evening, just like she knew they'd be. She was unable to stop thinking about the angry look in Bob's eyes and the cold one in Cherry's. She couldn't forget the sound of the Greasers' voices as they defended her and her cousin.

As the thoughts drifted once more through her mind, they seemed almost surreal now. She couldn't help but think, though, that maybe something was meant by the actions the Greasers' displayed. For some reason, she simply couldn't say that they were just being nice because no matter how nice someone wanted to be, they'd never fight for someone to stay and watch a movie.

Sighing softly as her thoughts turned more into daydreams than anything else, Cindy was unaware of the fact that her door had opened and her cousin stood in the doorway. However, Cherry remained quiet as she watched her cousin slip deeper into her thoughts.

Part of her wanted to shake Cindy from the thoughts she was enjoying yet Cherry couldn't bring herself to do that. She knew that Cindy was far better off in her daydreams than in the reality that was unfolding. After all, her cousin would never be able to understand the turmoil that was going to come from the night's events.

Deciding to spare her cousin the thoughts, Cherry quietly backed out of the door and shut it silently behind her. As she returned to her room, she let a small frown appear on her face. She was going to have to face this thing no matter what, the question was, though, would she involve her cousin and if she did, what would happen?


	13. Chapter 13

Ponyboy rolled over in the double bed, his eyes remaining shut as he attempted to block out the sunlight that was streaming in through the shades. Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced briefly toward his brother. As a look of annoyance passed over his face, he pushed himself out of the bed and headed toward the bathroom. For the past two days he had been hoping and wishing that the night at the movies had been merely a nightmare, but every time he saw his brother he knew differently. It had been reality and he had to accept it.

As he got ready for school, he could hear his brothers moving around hurriedly as they attempted to get ready for work and as they both rushed out the door, Ponyboy rolled his eyes. It would be another quiet morning. Finishing off his morning routine, Pony headed into the kitchen and gathered himself some food before he headed toward the door.

Entering into the bright morning sunlight, Ponyboy walked along the sidewalk, his thoughts bringing his mind away from everything that was happening around him. As was usual for him, he reached school without realizing it and yet, as he was about to walk toward the front doors, he stopped. Coming towards him were Cindy and Cherry Valance talking animatedly to each other about something that had apparently happened earlier that morning.

Trying his hardest to keep his eyes from focusing on them for too long, Ponyboy waited until they had entered the school before heading into the crowded hallways. For the rest of the day, his mind was focused on the Soc girl. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Before he was aware of it half of the day had passed and he found himself heading outside once more. As he held the paper bag in his clinched fist, Pony's eyes scanned the grounds as he looked for a place to sit and eat. Almost immediately his gaze fell onto Cindy and rather quickly he headed in her direction.

Falling to the ground beside her, he smiled slightly at her rather shocked expression. "Sorry, didn't mean to bother you…" he stated hurriedly, realizing he probably had been a bit hasty in his actions. He couldn't help it though; all he could think of at that moment was proving to himself and to the gang that he was better than Sodapop. For once, Ponyboy wanted to be the one to get the girl.

"It's fine," Cindy replied simply, a smile lighting up her face as she pulled a sandwich from the bag in front of her. "How're you?"

"Fine…"

"That's good…" she replied politely, her eyes focusing on the sandwich in her hands.

As the brief conversation died out behind them, Pony turned his gaze toward her quickly. A bit surprised at the thoughtful expression that existed on her face, he looked down hurriedly at his sandwich before he glanced toward her once more.

"Something wrong?" he questioned, trying his hardest to keep the uncertain tone from his voice. He wanted to appear confident and cool, just like his brother always seemed to appear. However, for Sodapop it was natural. He was a natural charmer. For Ponyboy, it seemed near impossible to appear that way; he knew he came off shy and reserved, but for some reason he didn't want her to get that impression.

Cindy, who had been absorbed by her own thoughts, shrugged slightly in response before she turned her bright blue eyes toward him. Surveying his face for a few moments, she smiled softly before taking a bite out of her sandwich. She had to buy time to think of a response to his question; after all, she barely knew him and here he was prying into her personal thoughts.

As she finished eating the piece of sandwich she had bitten off, Cindy looked toward the ground briefly before looking back towards him a bit uncertainly. "I was just thinking about something, that's all…"

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

"Nothin' bad happened, right?" Ponyboy questioned, hoping he wasn't getting too personal now with his questions. It would be just his luck that she would hurriedly leave because he was pestering her and he didn't want that to happen.

However, Cindy remained where she was as she shook her head slowly once more. "No, nothing to me. I was just wondering how your friend was doing…" she stated, her voice turning quieter as she looked at him.

As her words caught his attention, Ponyboy's mind immediately went to Two-Bit. He recalled the cut to his eyebrow and the blood that trickled along his cheek for a few hours until it finally stopped. Smiling reassuringly, he nodded slowly. "He's fine. Just gotta cut to the face and a few cracked ribs from gettin' kicked…" Pony reassured her calmly.

A look of confusion passed over Cindy's young face as she listened to his words and suddenly Ponyboy froze. "You're talkin' 'bout Two-Bit, ain't you?" he questioned suddenly.

"I was talking about the one that was fighting with Mark…"

"Oh…" he replied, his hopes crashing into thousands of pieces at that point. It was obvious to him now that she was concerned about his brother and no matter how charming he attempted to be at the moment she'd only be thinking of Sodapop's well being.

"He is okay, isn't he?" Cindy pressed, noticing the silence that had come over Ponyboy. "He didn't get hurt too badly…"

Shaking his head slowly, Ponyboy picked at the sandwich he had let fall from his hands earlier. His eyes looked stubbornly at the ground as he listened to her voice filling the air around him. "No, he's fine…" he replied simply. "Just gotta few bruises…"

"Oh good…" he heard her say in relief. Turning his attention towards her once more, Pony noticed the look on her face. She seemed unusually happy about the news he had just given her. As he continued to observe her expression, Ponyboy stuffed his sandwich back into the paper bag. He couldn't take the aching pain that was passing through him any longer.

As he jumped up from his spot, Cindy looked at him in confusion. Refusing to look in her direction, though, Ponyboy sighed slightly. "I've gotta get some homework done. See you later," he stated coolly before he headed toward the school once more.

As he disappeared into the crowd of students that stood near the front of the school, Cindy sighed softly to herself. Something was going on with him that she couldn't quite figure out. However, she didn't try to decode Ponyboy's actions for too long; instead, her mind drifted back to her previous thoughts which seemed nearly impossible to get rid of.

* * *

The blaring sounds that came from the television were the first things Ponyboy heard as he entered into the house that night. Entering into the living room, his eyes scanned the room and as he caught sight of his brother and Steve playing a game of cards near the kitchen, Pony sighed slightly.

He couldn't help but dislike his brother at that moment. He didn't find it fair at all that Sodapop had the good looks and the charm that he didn't possess. He didn't find it fair that Sodapop could get any girl he wanted and he couldn't.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Ponyboy was faintly aware of his brother talking to him and before he knew it he was shaking his head slowly.

"Can't play now…" he replied, almost in a trance. "I've gotta get some homework done."

"You always gotta do homework…" Sodapop replied coaxing. "Come and play a few games then get your homework done. Darry ain't gonna be home for another few hours so he ain't gonna catch you."

"I've gotta get my homework done, Sodapop," Ponyboy repeated, his eyes flashing towards his brother.

A dangerous look passed briefly through Soda's eyes as he looked at his younger brother before he shook his head slowly. "Whatever then," he replied, dealing out some cards to himself and Steve.

"Alright…" Ponyboy muttered quietly before disappearing into the bedroom.

As the door shut behind him, Steve glanced toward Sodapop in amusement. His eyes were dancing as he glanced toward the bedroom door that had just shut. "What's got him all messed up?" he questioned calmly.

"Dunno.."

"Like hell you don't," Steve replied as he picked up his cards. "He's been actin' like that for two days. Somethin' happen?"

Soda shook his head slowly as he laid down a few cards. "Nothin' that he should still be mad 'bout," Soda replied coolly as he waited for his friend to play his hand.

"Right…"

"Ain't nothin' I done. He's been that way since the movies."

"What movies?"

"The ones you ain't go to," Soda replied simply as he looked at his friend. "Remember you had to go bring your sister somewhere."

"Oh yeah. What happened?"

"Nothin'…"

"I ain't as stupid as that, Sodapop…"

Soda laughed slightly as he placed the rest of his cards on the table. A grin appeared on his face as he took the prizes they had been gambling with and slipped them into his pocket. "Nothin' happened. Me and Two-Bit was sittin' with Cherry and her cousin and them Socs they usually are with got mad and started a fight. Ain't nothin' big."

"Eh…" Steve replied calmly before throwing the cards on the table. He had lost enough playing card games recently and he certainly wasn't planning on gambling anymore that night. As the silence emerged between the two of them, Steve couldn't help but glance at his friend in slight disbelief.

He had known Sodapop long enough to know when something was up and from the way he saw things something was happening. However, unable to pinpoint just what it was, Steve slipped into his own thoughts as both of them turned their attention to the television.


	14. Chapter 14

The days were jumbled together in his mind as Ponyboy sat idly in his last class of the day. It had been perhaps a week (yet it felt like more) since he had caught sight of his brother at the movies with the Soc girl he had been developing a crush on since she had arrived in Oklahoma. It seemed to him that no matter how many times his mind drifted away from the topic, he was always brought back to think about that evening.

That was the very topic on his mind as he listened to the students around him gather their things. The sound of chairs scrapping against the floor brought him back to reality and soon he had gathered all his items and left the classroom hurriedly.

His mind was focused solely on his thoughts as he entered into the bright, afternoon sunlight and began the long walk back to his house. Although he usually hated to walk alone, due to the silence and the threat of being jumped, Ponyboy was slightly glad to have this time to himself now. He had too many thoughts in his mind to ignore and he wanted to get them all straightened out before the weekend.

However, as he continued to debate over the dilemmas that were facing him, he found that his feet had been leading him toward the DX station. A look of uncertainty appeared on his face as he studied the door that entered into the station. Half of him wanted to just leave and continue on home by himself, but the other half of him wanted to talk to his brother. It had been at least a week since they had really said anything to each other and Ponyboy couldn't take the silence between them any longer.

Coming to this decision, he hurried toward the door and pushed it open slowly. The sound of talking voices filled the air around him and it didn't take him long to locate his brother and Steve. Like always, they were bragging to each other about the things they had done and the things they could do better than the other. As was usual, some of the things they said made Ponyboy feel a bit uneasy, but it didn't take long for this uneasiness to subside as both of their eyes turned toward him in slight surprise.

"What you want, kid?" Steve's question came, a look of annoyance appearing on his face. It was common knowledge that Steve didn't like to be disturbed when he was in the middle of bragging.

Letting this thought escape from his mind, Ponyboy shrugged slightly as he leaned back against the wall. The cool air hit against his face as the silence emerged between the three of them. He watched as Steve glanced toward Sodapop in warning; Steve had always believed that Soda could get Ponyboy to leave if he wasn't wanted and no matter how many times Steve was proven wrong on this he continued to believe it.

"So what's with you, Pony?" Soda question, ignoring his friend's glance. The tone of voice he used with him was different, Ponyboy noted as he simply shrugged in reply. Usually Soda had the caring tone that always made Ponyboy trust him no matter what it was that was bothering him. However this time it seemed almost as if Soda was forcing himself to talk to him.

iCould he possibly still be mad about that evening?/i Pony thought curiously as he looked toward the ceiling, attempting to think of something to say in reply. "Nothin' just thought I'd come and see what you guys were doin'…" he replied, turning his eyes back to his brother. True, his response may have been a lie, but it was better than standing there like an idiot.

Sodapop merely nodded his head slightly. Before he was able to say anything, though, the sound of a car horn honking outside took all three of them by surprise. Rising from his spot, Sodapop headed toward the window that overlooked the gas pumps and as he studied the car outside a few quiet curses escaped from his lips.

"What?" Steve questioned, almost as taken back by Soda's reaction as Ponyboy was.

"It's them Socs again."

"What Socs?"

"The ones from the movies," Soda replied coolly as he watched two guys exit the car and head toward the front door of the station. Listening as the pounding on the door filled the air, Steve glanced toward his best friend before heading toward the front of the store.

Sodapop and Ponyboy followed behind him as he pulled open the door and stared coldly at the two Socs in front of him. It didn't take long for Ponyboy to recognize the two and the two Socs seemed to recognize him and his brother easily as well.

"What you want Soc? We're closed," Steve announced, his voice hard and uncaring.

"We want to have a word with you," Bob replied dangerously as he pushed the door open more and entered into the icy air conditioned room. "We got a bit of a problem with you Greasers picking up our girls," he stated almost instantly as his eyes flashed toward Sodapop.

"Don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," Soda replied indifferently, ignoring the confused look that Steve was giving him. It had just occurred to Soda that his mind had been on the Soc and that evening at the movies so often that he had neglected to tell his best friend about the incident.

"You better stay away from them."

"Or what?"

"We're gonna beat your faces in," Mark chimed in, his eyes flashing dangerously as Soda's face turned toward him.

It was hard for Ponyboy to tell what his brother was thinking at that moment. The dancing brown eyes that Soda usually possessed had hardened and the blazing fire that was caused by his anger was briefly visible in them.

"Why don't we just settle this now," Steve stated, having felt a bit left out of the conversation. "We don't gotta problem whippin' you two here."

Bob laughed coldly, his mind most likely turning back to his last encounter with the Greasers. "We ain't gonna fight here where there are witnesses to complain," he replied simply.

"Figures," Steve replied, a sarcastic note in his voice. "Can't have the world thinkin' you guys ain't some tuff heros, eh?" he questioned with a smirk. "Gotta keep that super-Soc rep in place."

A glare appeared on Bob's face as he took in Steve's sarcastic tone. He wasn't going to take that kind of talk from someone that was lower than him, at least on a social scale. As this thought passed through his mind, his fists clinched and his eyes flashed murderously. "Tomorrow night," he replied coldly, his eyes staring directly at Steve with intense hatred. "We'll settle this tomorrow night."

"Fine."

"Where you brave enough to show at?" Bob questioned uncaringly.

Steve glanced toward Soda briefly, waiting for some input on the situation. Instead, Soda remained silent as he waited to hear the final detail. Finding that he wasn't going to get any response from his friend, Steve turned his attention back toward the Soc.

"The park," he replied indifferently.

Bob nodded slightly before motioning for Mark to head back to the car. As the sound of the Mustang speeding off disappeared from their hearing range, Steve turned to look at Sodapop in confusion.

"Who you pick up?"

"No one…"

As he listened to his brother's reply, Ponyboy felt his anger rise slightly. He considered Cindy to be rather important and his brother referred to her as 'no one'? The feelings of anger that had radiated throughout his body that night a week ago resurfaced again as Ponyboy headed toward the door. It didn't matter to him anymore that he hadn't spoke to Sodapop in awhile. It didn't matter anymore to him that Soda was his brother and his confidant. All that mattered was getting Cindy for himself and keeping her away from the heartbreak his brother would most likely inflict upon her.


	15. Chapter 15

Silence existed among the two best friends as they drove toward the Curtis house. The challenge that Steve had accepted was still fresh in both of their minds. Although he was still in the dark about the details, Steve had a feeling Sodapop wasn't too pleased with the rumble that was coming up. This fact was what worried him the most.

As the thought passed briefly through his mind, he stopped the car in front of the house and quickly got out and slammed the door shut. There were numerous thoughts passing through his mind and not one gave him a solution to the problem that constantly cascaded through his mind.

After another few moments of silence, Steve sighed slightly and caught up with his friend who had just reached the porch.

"Hey, Soda…"

"Yeah?"

"What's goin' on?" he questioned, his eyes flashing toward his best friend out of curiosity. "You got somethin' you ain't tellin' me."

"Ain't got nothin'," Soda reassured, although the sincere look that usually rested in his eyes was gone. His mind was still on the conversation from earlier and no matter how hard he tried his mind kept drifting back toward the conversation.

"Who was she?"

"Just some girl…"

"Eh, musta been a Socy girl."

"Yeah…"

Steve nodded slightly as the silence emerged between them once more. It was difficult for him to coax something out of his best friend when Soda was hardly paying attention to the conversation. As his mind whirled, he decided on a different form of attack to illicit the information from Sodapop.

"She a good catch?"

"Whatcha mean?" Soda questioned suddenly, his eyes flashing towards Steve quickly.

"You know what I mean."

Soda shook his head slightly as he pulled open the screen door to the house. Ignoring the shouting that was passing from Two-Bit to Ponyboy, Soda fell back onto the couch and sighed, "I ain't even thought of her like that."

"You kiddin'?"

"No."

Steve looked at his friend in surprise. Something was happening that was a complete mystery to him. Even in the days when Sandy was around, Soda would always comment on things of the sort and now this girl, some girl he had just met, was held higher than what Sandy was?

"Aight then, Soda…" Steve replied, still a bit shocked at his friends response. As the silence emerged between them once more, Steve fell back into his thoughts as Sodapop turned his eyes toward the television before him.

* * *

Saturday seemed to pass by in a whirl of colors as Cindy sat quietly in her room, reading over a few notes from school the day before. Hearing footsteps outside of her room, she glanced up in time to see her cousin push open the door and enter it quietly.

A look of confusion mixed with curiosity appeared on her face as she took in Cherry's expression.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, almost uncertainly as she closed the notebook that rested on the bed before her.

Cherry remained silent for a few moments as she sat on the edge of Cindy's bed; her thoughts were overwhelming her brain as she thought of a way to express the thoughts that were passing through her mind.

"I, um, broke up with Bob…" Cherry stated finally.

"That's great!" Cindy exclaimed, however the look of joy disappeared from her face as she caught sight of her cousin's expression. "It's not great…?"

Cherry shrugged slightly, her mind still concocting a way to express her thoughts. "It is, I guess. It's just that…" she started but stopped as a small sigh escaped from her lips. "I overheard Mark in the background and apparently they're getting ready for a fight tonight."

"Oh…?"

"Against the Greasers…" Cherry explained, watching as the confusion on her cousin's face grew. "You know what that means don't you?"

"Not really…"

"They're going to fight and someone could get killed, Cindy."

Cindy shook her head slowly, a bit certain of her thoughts. "I don't think anyone will get hurt, Sherri. Don't worry so much."

"I'm sure someone will," Cherry replied.

"What're you wanting to do then?" Cindy questioned calmly, although a hint of sarcasm existed in her voice. "Show up and stop the fight from happening?"

Cherry merely shrugged in response as her cousin's words washed over her. Slowly a smile appeared on her face as she looked toward her cousin. As Cindy surveyed the expression on her cousin's face, she shook her head quickly before standing up.

"No…"

"Why not?"

"No…"

"Come on, Cindy…" Cherry replied quietly, looking at her cousin with an almost pleading look in her eyes. "What if Ponyboy got hurt? Could you forgive yourself for that?"

A look of surprise passed briefly over Cindy's face as she listened to her cousin's words. This was the same girl who had told her only a couple of weeks ago to stay clear of the Greasers and now she wanted to prevent them from getting hurt?

"Who are you looking to protect, Sherri?" Cindy questioned.

A small blush appeared on Cherry's cheeks before she shook her head slowly. "I just don't want them to get hurt…"

"Who?"

"The Greasers…"

"Who, Sherri?" Cindy nearly demanded. It hadn't taken her long to catch onto the fact that her cousin had secretly developed a crush on one of the Greasers. The question was, who was it and how far into the crush had Cherry gotten.

As she waited on a response, Cindy watched as Cherry's face turned slowly redder before she sighed in resignation. "I don't want Two-Bit to get hurt, okay?" she stated.

"Two-Bit?"

"Yes, Two-Bit…"

Cindy, who was a bit surprised at how quickly her cousin gave in, remained silent for a few moments as she took in this information. Deciding though that she wouldn't press her cousin for any more information, Cindy slowly nodded before she sighed softly.

"Fine…"

"What?" Cherry questioned.

"We can go and try. But Sherri, I really don't think it'll do any good."

"We can always try," Cherry replied. "I just don't think I could stand to watch them get hurt just because we agreed to sit with them at the movies."

As this statement passed through her mind, Cindy suddenly realized how deeply they were involved in this argument between the Greasers and the Socs. Sure, they were both Socs themselves, however, Bob and Mark had taken it upon themselves to restrict her and Cherry from doing anything that even brought them close to the Greasers. When they had broken that restriction it had brought more trouble onto the Greasers.

As these thoughts cascaded quickly through her mind, Cindy was faintly aware of her cousin's voice talking to her. That night they would sneak out and make an appearance at the rumble. If all went well they would be able to stop it from happening. Perhaps they'd have to sacrifice their friendship with the Greasers for the time being, but it would be worth it to save any of them from getting hurt.

As this reassuring thought passed through her mind, Cindy was hardly aware of how wrong she could be. It never occurred to either of them just how dangerous the hatred between the social classes could be.


	16. Chapter 16

The sky darkened gradually. The street lights that lined the roads lit up simultaneously. The chirping sounds of crickets sounded throughout the night as Ponyboy sat silently in his living room. His eyes were focused on the other gang members who were beside themselves with joy. They had been waiting a long time for this moment; it was finally time to stomp the Socs and get them out of the way for awhile.

As he watched his brothers and his friends talk and laugh, an eerie feeling fell over him; he was unable to explain just what the feeling meant, but he knew for one thing that something was going to go wrong that night. As this thought passed slowly through his mind, he felt the cushions on the couch sink slightly beside him as Johnny sat down to watch the others.

"Think we gonna win?" Johnny asked quietly, his dark eyes turning to look at Ponyboy in slight curiosity. He always seemed to bring this question up before a rumble and Ponyboy never had any real specific answer to give him. This time, however, he debated on explaining the thoughts that had just been cascading through his mind.

Before he was able to, though, he heard the front door slam shut and looking up he caught sight of the determined face of Dallas. As always before a rumble, Dallas held a bottle of beer in his hand and after taking a swing from it, a dangerous grin appeared on his face. He was ready for the fight and he was ready to destroy the Socs that made his life and all of the other Greasers' lives miserable.

"What you kids sittin' round for?" he questioned, his voice cold as he looked around at the other gang members.

Two-Bit, who had been talking animatedly to Steve and Soda about something, turned his attention toward Dally with a grin. "Waitin' on you, Greaser," he replied, his voice taking on the imitation of a Soc.

A laugh escaped from Sodapop as he rose from his spot and stretched a bit and as Steve stood at his side, Ponyboy knew it was almost time to go. When the two of them were ready to go everyone else seemed to be close behind.

Just as he expected, the rest of the gang were soon on their feet. Within a few moments, the peaceful silence of the night was destroyed by the loud whooping noises coming from Steve. These noises were drowned out, though, as Darry turned to look at Ponyboy and Soda, a serious look on his face.

"You guys know what to do if the cops show?"

"Yeah, Darry, we know…" Soda replied, almost carelessly. His mind was focused on the contest that was coming up and for once his eyes were blazing. His thoughts had turned back toward the fight at the movies and at that moment he promised himself he wouldn't let anything distract him. He was going to smash the Soc no matter what.

Darry, however, ignored Soda's distracted tone as he looked toward Ponyboy expectantly. "You know to clear out, huh Pony? You and Soda gotta get before they show."

"I know," Pony replied as he listened to Johnny muttering quietly under his breath.

Content with their answers, Darry nodded slowly as they neared the park. In the distance, Ponyboy could faintly make out the outline of the other Greasers and hoods that usually always showed up to help them out when there was a fight against the Socs. These guys were their allies and they knew the score well enough.

Coming to a stop before the other groups, Darry moved forward to talk to their leaders and that left the rest of the gang to stand around idly. With this break in action, Ponyboy glanced toward Johnny, noticing the anxious look in his dark eyes. Johnny had always been a decent fighter, but recently it seemed as if he was getting even more jumpy. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the Socs had been jumping them more frequently, no one knew for sure though.

Deciding he wasn't going to force an explanation from his friend, Ponyboy remained silent as he waited for something to happen. Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait too long until he heard the sound of a car horn honking and soon the headlights of numerous cars could be seen heading toward the park.

As the Socs exited their cards, Ponyboy's hands clenched into fists. He was ready for this, mentally and physically. However, he wasn't ready for everything that would occur that night. As Bob appeared at the head of the group of Socs, Darry looked at him coldly, showing no worry or fear. Darry never seemed to be afraid in a rumble. Perhaps it was because he was always the strongest and the biggest.

"What rules you have?" Bob questioned, his eyes scanning Darry's face before his eyes flashed dangerously towards Two-Bit. He had recognized him almost immediately as the Greaser he had caught with Cherry and he wasn't going to forgive him for what had happened. He partly blamed Two-Bit for Cherry breaking up with him earlier.

"No weapons."

"No weapons? That it?"

"That's it," Darry replied icily. "Unless you got others?"

Bob shook his head slowly before his eyes turned towards the Greasers and hoods again. As he debated on which one to attack first, Mark appeared at his side. A cold and ruthless expression existed on Mark's face as his eyes flashed toward Sodapop in distaste.

"You're mine, Greaser," he hissed.

"I beat you once. I can beat you again," Soda replied smoothly, his eyes flashing dangerously as Steve let a slight laugh escape from his lips.

A growl escaped from Mark as he moved toward Sodapop, but Bob's arm stopped him. Bob was the one that would throw the first punch and Mark had to remember that.

"Any day now," Two-Bit called over as he shifted slightly in his spot. The minutes had passed by agonizingly slow for him and he was getting a bit restless.

Bob's eyes flashed toward him once more before he lunged toward Two-Bit. As his fist collided with Two-Bit's face, the rest of the guys gathered followed his example.

Greaser against Soc was all that could be seen as the teenagers fought for all they were worth. Stumbling and falling, they made certain to always jump back to their feet before they received the blow that could land them in the hospital for a few weeks.

As the minutes turned to hours, the struggle for a victory continued. This was the scene Cherry and Cindy found as Cherry parked her red Corvette near the park. Jumping out of the car, she surveyed the area gravely before finally spotting Two-Bit and Bob, who were continuing to punch and kick each other mercilessly.

Without wasting a moment, Cherry hurried down the path toward them. All thoughts composed of common sense were gone from her mind as she dodged between the struggling people until she reached the two she was aiming for. 

"Bob, stop it!" she demanded as she grabbed onto his arm, attempting to pull him away from Two-Bit who laid on the ground.

As her words were heard through the noise, Bob turned to look at her. Yet, as his eyes found her face, Two-Bit grabbed onto his leg and yanked him onto the ground. The sound of yelling and cursing filled the air as Two-Bit punched him repeatedly, wanting to win the fight before he lost his own reputation for being an amazing fighter.

"Two-Bit, please!" Cherry screamed, giving another attempt at stopping the fight.

However, before Two-Bit could even look up to see who was speaking to him, another set of fighters collided into Cherry. With the force of the collision, she fell to the ground and almost immediately felt a couple of feet stepping on her.

Letting out a shriek of pain, Cherry struggled to get up, but through the constant fighting and intense sound of the yelling that was occurring, no one could hear her screams of pain and agony.

The fight continued on like this for another hour before finally the Socs hurried toward their cars, hoping to get away before the cops showed up. They had been defeated for the time being, but that never meant they wouldn't come back soon.

As the last of their cars zoomed off into the distance, Cindy looked around, trying to spot her cousin. It had been awhile since she had seen her and yet, as she scanned the park, she couldn't make out Cherry from anyone else.

In a fit of worry, Cindy hurried toward the Greasers who stood talking energetically to each other. None of them seemed to notice the distress on her face until she let a scream escape from her lips. Lying not too far from where the Greasers were talking laid her cousin motionlessly.

Almost immediately the Greasers' attention had turned in the direction of Cindy and now, as their gaze followed hers, a deathly silence fell over them. Sure they had all seem someone lying motionlessly on the ground, yet never had it been a girl. Mostly never had it been a Socy girl.

As the realization of what had happened passed through Cindy's mind, she felt someone's arm wrap around her shoulders. Briefly, she could hear the soothing sound of Sodapop's voice before she found herself drifting into an uneasy state of mind. Nothing seemed real around her anymore and as Darry picked up her cousin's body, she was certain that nothing would ever seem the same to her again.


	17. Chapter 17

The cool air created by the air conditioner blew lightly against Cindy's face as she rested back against the soft pillows on her bed. The sound of footsteps passing by her door was briefly heard and yet she forgot them almost instantly. Nothing that she heard or saw could distract her from the thoughts that had been haunting her for the past twelve hours. No matter how hard she tried, nothing would get rid of the horrific events of the evening before.

Giving one final attempt, though, to force herself into a light sleep, Cindy closed her eyes and almost instantly the scenario played out before her again.

_The cold wind hit against her face fiercely as the darkness of the night closed in around her. The sounds caused by worried whispers echoed about her as she felt a hand sliding along her arm in an attempt to comfort her from her shock. Glancing to her side, she caught the grim look on Sodapop's face as he continued to try to comfort her, however, his gaze was no longer on her but on the body that laid on the ground. _

_No one had dared to touch it, no one even wanted to get close to it as she heard a few more whispers and then a pair of feet running off through the grass and then along the pavement. As she glanced in the direction of the running person, she faintly caught the outline of Two-Bit as he ran to the nearest house. The sound of his fist banging on the door echoed throughout the still night as a shiver ran through her body. _

_Unconsciously, Cindy moved closer to Soda's body, feeling the warmth that radiated off of him as she struggled to keep tears from her eyes. As she waited for some help to arrive, all she could think about was how she had let this happen to her cousin. She hadn't bothered to go and help her cousin and she hadn't bothered to even look for her after she had been missing for a few minutes. Cindy had waited too long and look what had happened? Her cousin was now lying limply on the ground and no one knew what exactly was wrong. _

_As these thoughts passed through her mind, her eyes began to fill with tears. Taking a shaking breath, she prevented herself from crying as she listened to the sound of a siren wailing in the distance. As the ambulance finally arrived and they loaded her cousin into the back of it, she suddenly realized that the Greasers were no longer there. The feeling of Soda's hand running along her arm had disappeared and the warmth he had provided was gone completely. _

_Suddenly she was all alone. There was no one there to comfort her and no one there to care for her. There was nothing left for her to do but wait and be found in the darkness of the night. _

In her sleep, she turned slightly before suddenly waking up again. The events had once again coursed through her mind, causing her to relive the pain that she had undergone not long ago. Sighing softly, she pushed herself into a sitting position and turned her gaze toward the door across from her. The sunlight that streamed through the open curtains hit against the wall and she watched as the shadows of the trees moved slightly with the swaying wind.

There was no part of her, she realized, that was able to move from that spot. She didn't want to get up and go to school for if she did she'd have to face Bob and Mark and all the others. She'd also have to face Ponyboy. No matter how many times she told herself it wasn't her fault that it had happened, she couldn't help but believe it still was. What if Ponyboy believed the same? What if all the Greasers believed the same? What would they think of her?

As these devastating thoughts joined the other terrible thoughts in her mind, Cindy rested back against the headboard of her bed. She certainly was feeling ill enough to skip school for the day and her aunt and uncle didn't seem to mind her staying home. They were still, as she had expected, in a state of shock from what she had had to tell them earlier that morning.

With a small shudder at the thought of earlier that morning, Cindy closed her eyes once more and finally drifted off into an uneasy and light sleep.

The bright sunlight hit against the pavement as Ponyboy walked along the street toward the DX station. It had been a rather long day at school for him and he was looking forward to getting a refreshing drink before heading all the way home on his own.

As his footsteps echoed around him on the deserted street, his mind drifted off to the events that had happened the night before. Briefly he recalled the sight of Cherry lying on the ground motionless, her red hair spread around her. However, most of his memory and thoughts were focused on the events that were happening beside him.

In his mind he could still picture his older brother holding Cindy in his arms and whispering words into her ear. It was obvious to Ponyboy that Soda was only trying to help, but it still bothered him. Hadn't his brother noticed by now that Pony had a thing for the Soc as well? Deciding that eventually he'd have to confront his brother about the entire thing, Ponyboy entered into the shade of the DX station canopy.

"Hey Soda, you gotta Pepsi for me?" Ponyboy called through the open door as he leaned back against the wall. Steve had never forgiven him for barging into the station a few days before and Pony wasn't itching to do it again anytime soon.

"Yeah…"

"Throw it out to me."

"Come get it," Soda called back before Ponyboy shrugged and entered into the station. As he entered into the cool air, he looked around before spotting his brother and Steve sitting in their usual area. As Soda glanced up and caught sight of him, Ponyboy prepared himself to catch the drink that his brother had promised him, instead Soda gave him a strange look.

"What?" Ponyboy questioned, slightly confused.

"Nothin'."

"Right…"

"Yeah," Soda replied, tossing the Pepsi to his brother before he returned to the conversation he had been having with Steve.

As their conversation resumed, Ponyboy turned to look into the back, examining the cars that the other two had been working on earlier. They apparently hadn't been too busy because two of the vehicles seemed to still be untouched and the one they had been working on was only half finished. Finding this rather strange, Pony turned back to look at his brother in question.

Soda, however, didn't notice Pony's glance as he heard the sound of a car horn honking outside. Rising from his spot, Steve headed toward the window before he let a low whistle escape from his lips. "Well come check this out," he called over his shoulder before he turned to look out the window again.

A look of confusion appeared on Soda's face as he rose from his spot and headed toward the window. Gazing out into the afternoon, he spotted Cindy sitting in her cousin's red Corvette. Finding that a strange feeling overtook him, Soda glanced toward his friend before letting a grin appear on his face. "Can't keep a lady waitin'…" he stated more to himself than to Steve before he headed toward the door.

Within a minute, Soda found his hands resting on the door as he gazed into the car. His eyes scanned over the Soc's face briefly before the grin reappeared on his face. "Can I help you?"

Cindy nodded slightly before biting down on her lower lip. She wasn't certain why she was there exactly, but she had a feeling she had to face them after everything that had happened. "I was just coming by to make certain you guys hadn't gotten too badly hurt the other night…"

"We're good," he replied reassuringly, the grin remaining on his lips as his dark eyes danced.

"Oh that's good…"

Somethin' else on your mind?"

"Just worried I guess," she replied simply, uncertain of why she was telling him this. She hardly knew him and yet Sodapop seemed to calm her down and make her relaxed. "I've got to go see how Sherri's doing now. I'll let you guys know later," she promised before watching as he backed away from the car. Restarting the engine, she glanced at him once more before driving off.

Soda watched as the car disappeared in the distance. He was unaware that his brother and best friend had walked up behind him and when he turned around he found himself face to face with Steve.

"Whatcha so happy 'bout?" Steve questioned, his eyes taking in the expression on his best friend's face.

Soda, however, merely shrugged as he glanced in the direction Cindy had driven in. "I dunno. Just somethin' 'bout her…"

"Eh?"

"You know…"

Steve merely shook his head before glancing briefly toward Ponyboy. His gaze froze on Ponyboy's face, however, as he noticed the torn expression on it. Uncertain on what had caused it, he nudged Sodapop who quickly turned his attention toward his younger brother as well.

"What's with you, Pony?"

Ponyboy, who had been thrown into shock hurt at his brother's statements, forced himself out of his thoughts as he looked back at his brother. "You…you like the Soc?" he questioned, attempting to keep his cool.

"Yeah, some I guess…" Soda admitted, feeling slightly uneasy as he caught the tone of his brother's voice. "Why?"

"No reason…"

Soda studied his brother a bit more as he took in the response that he had been given. Suddenly his eyes ceased to dance as he slowly registered just what had upset his brother. "You…" he began, but found he didn't need to finish as Ponyboy nodded slowly.

As the reality set in on both of them, they stood there looking at each other uncertainly. Neither of them seemed to be able to speak and even if they had wanted to nothing would've come out right. They had found that they were both now against each other and no matter how loyal they usually were to each other nothing would be the same between them until a compromise was reached.


	18. Chapter 18

The silence of the waiting room was eerie as Cindy sat quietly by herself. She could hear the calls over the speakers that sounded as if someone was just muttering in their own language. She could hear the soft footsteps of doctors and nurses as they headed to and fro from one room to the other. Yet, as she remained motionless and alone in the waiting room, she felt as if the silence was closing in on her, even if the other sounds existed.

As this thought brought a damper to her already devastated personality, Cindy moved slightly in the uncomfortable chair. Where were her aunt and uncle? Where was Bob who before all this had proudly proclaimed he would stand by Cherry no matter what? Where were all these close Soc friends that her cousin hung out with at school every day?

Realizing that most of these people, excluding her aunt and uncle, were merely shallow fools trying to get by in high school, Cindy felt her blood boil beneath her skin. How could people care so little about someone they have known and hung out with for years? It simply didn't make sense to her. As she attempted to figure out the thoughts, though, she heard another set of footsteps heading in her direction.

Deciding that it was just another doctor or nurse, Cindy kept her gaze fixed on the white wall that rested across from her. The blandness of the wall caused her to slip deeper into her thoughts; that is, until she felt a hand fall onto her shoulder.

Jumping slightly in her spot, her eyes turned to look up at the individual that had just walked in. As she slowly recognized the person through her dazed state of mind, a smile spread across her face briefly. Of all the people she had expected to show up and console her over what had happened, Two-Bit hadn't been one of them.

Yet now as she gazed at him in his t-shirt and blue jeans she realized that he was just another person checking up on a friend. He may not have hung out with her cousin for years and he may not even talk to her that often. But he must have considered her a friend and that was why he had shown up. As this thought cascaded through her mind, Cindy rose from her spot, only to watch Two-Bit shake his head slightly.

"Don't gotta get up for me," he replied good-naturedly as he looked around at the empty hallway that existed behind the waiting room. After checking to make certain no one was coming, Two-Bit sat across from her and the two simply stared at each other for a few moments.

The silence between them grew slightly uncomfortable, making Cindy second guess her previous thoughts. Maybe he was just there to make certain he hadn't been the cause of her death or something. Perhaps he was there out of his own selfish thoughts and not to comfort her or to check up on Cherry.

Finding herself getting carried away with her thoughts once more, Cindy was hardly aware of the fact that Two-Bit had fished around in his pocket and had extracted a small box from it. Looking at him in confusion, Cindy felt him slip the small box into her hand before she glanced down at it questioningly.

"What's this?" she questioned, almost suspiciously. She had heard from her cousin may times how Two-Bit shoplifted just for the fun of it. She certainly didn't want to be one of the fools that got caught with one of his stolen items.

However, finding that she should probably place a bit more trust in him than she had, she turned her gaze back toward him as she waited expectantly for the answer.

"Eh, just somethin' for Cherry."

"What is it?"

"Just somethin'…" he repeated, his gaze turning to look around the waiting room once more. A small smile flickered across his lips before he turned back to look at Cindy in slight amusement. "You gonna go insane if you keep yourself locked up in this place," he stated matter-of-factly.

Cindy, however, merely shrugged in response as she placed the small box into her pocket. Turning her gaze back towards him, she smiled softly, unable to prevent herself from doing so. "Why's that?" she questioned, a serious note in her voice that she hadn't expected to be there.

"Just will. Can't be on your own when stuff like this happens…"

"You'd know?"

"Yeah," he replied simply.

As she watched a small flash of pain pass through Two-Bit's eyes, Cindy realized what she had just reminded him of most likely. He had lived on the streets and had probably seen things that she'd never want to know about or witness in her life. Her response, therefore, had probably triggered a memory that he had been trying to force away from his thoughts.

Realizing that she was most likely only making the connection between the Greasers and herself worse, she tried to place the smile back on her face once more. "What would you suggest then?" she questioned, a small teasing note in her voice now.

Two-Bit, who had remained silent for a few moments after her first comment, allowed his usual smile to appear on his lips as he shrugged slightly. "You gotta get outta here and get with some other people."

"And who would you suggest?"

"Eh, some good lookin' guys."

"Oh really?" she questioned, noticing the mocked tone of superiority that he had placed in his voice.

Nodding slightly, Two-Bit laughed slightly. "I guess I gotta put it straight. Me and some of the guys are headin' to The Dingo tonight and we were gonna take you along to take your mind off things…"

"Why?"

"Eh, we feel this is kinda our fault. We oughta have seen her there and we didn't."

Cindy looked at him, a small look of shock passing through her eyes as he turned away from her briefly. For a moment she thought she had caught a look of slight pain in his eyes but as he turned back to look at her the expression was gone. All that remained was a small look of curiosity as he awaited her response to his offer.

"What's 'The Dingo'?" she questioned, almost apprehensively at this point. She wasn't certain what to expect anymore with the Greasers.

"Just a hang out."

"What kind of people are there?" Cindy pressed.

Two-Bit looked at her, a bit uncertain now if he should even continue on with the conversation. When he had originally thought it up he had assumed he would simply have to ask her and she'd give him a quick response back. Now, however, she seemed to be interrogating him, which only made things that much harder for him.

"My kinda people…" he began, his eyes looking directly into hers for the time being. "Greasers, hoods, those kinda people."

"And me?" she said, laughing softly before shaking her head. She could only imagine how out of place she'd be at a place like that. "What if Sherri wakes up and I'm not here?"

"She'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Two-Bit replied, smiling. "If you don't believe me I'll stay here myself and deal with her when she wakes up."

Briefly Cindy considered this statement before forcing it from her mind all together. He couldn't be serious. It was just too far-fetched for her to believe something like that coming from him.

"Fine, I'll go…" she replied, yet the tone of voice she used caused Two-Bit to study her face a bit more closely. She sounded almost scared to go with them and that was something he hadn't expected to run into.

Deciding, though, that he wasn't going to press the subject much at this point, he nodded his head slowly as he smiled. "Great. We'll meet you at the park tonight. Seven o'clock?"

"Sounds good…"

"See you then," he replied simply before rising from his spot and heading toward the door that would allow him to escape from the waiting room. As his footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Cindy sighed softly to herself. She knew she would have to continue communicating with the Greasers, even with her cousin in the hospital, because for some reason she simply couldn't stay away from them.


	19. Chapter 19

Cindy stood silently beneath a street light, the park visible from where she stood. She wasn't exactly certain why she was there instead of with her cousin, yet for the moment she didn't feel any guilt. Ever since the incident she had been by her cousin's side and Cherry wouldn't have wanted that. Cherry would've wanted her to continue on with her life and to make new friends, which was exactly what she was doing.

As these thoughts passed through Cindy's mind, she attempted to convince herself that they were true. All she was doing was making new friends. However, even she couldn't convince herself of this. She knew the truth. She was only there because she had this strange urge to see the Greasers again. They were becoming a sort of addiction and she couldn't help but see and talk to them any chance she got.

Fortunately for her, she wasn't able to think much on this realization for at that moment she heard the sound of approaching footsteps heading in her direction. A small look of uncertainty passed through her blue eyes before she allowed the look to disappear. No one was going to attack a Soc in the middle of the night or at least that was what she had hoped.

Before she was able to convince herself of this reassuring thought, she felt someone's hand fall onto her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. Turning her head toward the person, a smile appeared on her face briefly as she took in the grin that rested on Two-Bit's face.

"Whatcha doin' waitin' here?" he questioned as he quickly pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. His eyes remained on her as he waited for her answer, which she had yet to come up with.

After a few seconds of contemplating what she wanted to say, Cindy merely shrugged in response as she glanced behind him; finding that no one was with him, she turned her eyes back towards him with a small smile on her lips.

"I thought this was where you wanted to meet…"

"No. Too many hoods…" he commented jokingly before blowing a perfect smoke ring. "Come on, let's get goin'. The guys are gonna meet us there…"

Nodding slightly, Cindy began to walk beside him. She wasn't certain what she should say to him and therefore she remained quiet. As the silence grew between them, she began to wonder once more why she was going to see them. All they were going to do was place the blame on her for her cousin's injuries. They were going to look and treat her differently than they had before. As these slightly alarming thoughts cascaded through her mind, Cindy was tempted to think up an excuse to get away from the Greaser before they reached their destination. She was unable to speak, however, for at that moment she heard his voice breaking the silence between them.

"So how's your cousin?"

"Fine…"

"She come 'round yet?"

Cindy shook her head slowly, her eyes turning to look at the dark cement beneath her feet. "Not yet. The doctors said she just had a few fractured ribs but she had got hit across the head so that caused a minor concussion…"

"Ah…" Two-Bit's reply came. Yet something in his tone made her eyes turn towards him quickly. As she studied his face in the dark, she noticed he appeared to be thoughtful about something or other. Deciding it wasn't her place to question him, though, she merely nodded slightly before turning her gaze toward the dark concrete again.

The rest of their journey was deadly silent and not until they were a few yards away from The Dingo did that silence disappear. As they neared The Dingo, Cindy's eyes turned toward the brightly lit building. She could hear the screams and loud voices that were coming from the people gathered at the building causing her to become slightly reluctant.

Feeling Two-Bit's hand tighten around her arm, Cindy glanced toward him questioningly. However, his gaze remained focused on the people that were gathered around them.

"Hey, Two-Bit!" a voice shouted from the crowd.

Two-Bit's eyes shifted in that direction and a grin appeared on his face before he waved to the greasy hood that had hollered at him. Thankfully, though, they didn't go near that group. Cindy continued to follow after Two-Bit as he continued to search for the group that he considered his gang.

As they neared the back of the hang-out, Cindy had begun to believe that the other Greasers hadn't shown up or didn't know about the gathering. However, just as she was losing hope, she heard Steve's familiar voice bragging loudly about something or other.

"You oughta have seen it…" Steve was saying, his eyes flashing towards the group of guys that were listening to him. "It was the tuffest thing you'd ever see."

"I dunno 'bout that…"

"It's true," Steve replied, his eyes flashing slightly before they turned toward Two-Bit. A smile rested briefly on Steve's face before his eyes shifted toward the Soc beside his friend. "Eh, whatcha got there, Two-Bit?"

"Just a Soc…" Two-Bit replied with a grin before he rested back against the wall between Steve and Ponyboy. "You gotta problem with it?"

Steve merely shrugged in response as his eyes flashed toward his best friend. For most of the day, Sodapop had seemed to be off in his own world thinking things over and yet now his eyes were dancing like they used to be.

"I guess I don't," Steve replied after observing his friend for a few seconds. "How's the other Soc doin'?"

"Fine…"

"Good…" he replied, not bothering to notice Cindy's uncertainty in the reply. All Steve cared about was getting back to his story, and yet his best friend didn't seem to want to return to that topic just yet.

"How you holdin' up?" Soda's voice came, causing Cindy and Ponyboy's eyes to flash towards him.

"I'm good…" she replied quietly, her gaze focused on his face before she turned to look around her at the surrounding people. For some reason she simply couldn't make herself look at either him or Ponyboy too long. Something seemed to have changed slightly in them and until she could figure it out the connection between them all just seemed awkward.

"Good…" Soda responded, his voice hardly above a whisper before his eyes flashed briefly toward his younger brother. Neither of them had spoken much in the past few days and tonight was going to be no different. At least, he didn't think it'd be any different.

As the silence reemerged between them all, Cindy found herself drifting back into her previous thoughts. Why had she gone along with Two-Bit's idea? Why hadn't she just stayed at the hospital with her cousin? Why was this all so awkward?

Before she could find an answer to the questions, though, she heard Ponyboy's voice shatter the silence into pieces.

"You want a drink or somethin'?" he questioned, his eyes focused on her face.

A look of surprise briefly passed through her eyes before a smile emerged on her lips. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel slightly flattered at his question. "I'm good for now, thanks…"

"You want somethin' to eat?" Soda's voice came, causing her eyes to flash towards him.

"Um, no thanks. I'm good for now," she replied again, noticing the look that Steve was giving his best friend. However, she missed the glare that Ponyboy shot at his brother. Apparently he wasn't interested in being outdone once more by his older brother.

"Eh, I could show you around if you wanted," Ponyboy offered, his voice taking on a different tone than it had before.

Cindy looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments, debating on taking him up on his offer.

"You gonna show her around?" Sodapop questioned, his tone showing his amusement. "You can't even get 'round here without getting' lost…"

Steve laughed slightly as an indigent look appeared on Pony's face. He didn't understand it. Usually he got along great with Sodapop but now they were always head-to-head in everything they did. It wasn't about a friendly competition anymore. It was about beating the other no matter what.

"Like you'd know?" Pony replied, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You're always off chasin' girls."

"I ain't either."

"Ya are so," Ponyboy retorted.

A glare rested on Soda's face as he looked at his brother. There was little he could say in response to his brother's remarks and yet he wouldn't let him have the knowledge that he had defeated him. Before he could respond to Ponyboy's accusation, though, he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder.

"What?" he questioned, his eyes flashing over his shoulder to look at Two-Bit.

Two-Bit, however, merely shook his head before he glanced back towards Cindy with an apologetic smile. "Eh, sorry, didn't think it'd end up like this…" he replied, a grin replacing the smile. "Come on, I'll show ya around…"

As Cindy nodded slightly in response to Two-Bit's offer, she glanced briefly at the brothers before she walked off with him to explore The Dingo.

As the sound of their footsteps disappeared, the Curtis brothers returned to glaring at each other menacingly. It was hard for either of them to concoct a remark cold enough to hurt the other but both of them were trying hard to think of one. Because in the competition they were in only one could come out on top while the other suffered the loss of something important to them.


	20. Chapter 20

Silence. Distrust. Anger. Uncertainty. These were the emotions that surrounded the two brothers as they walked home. Silence had remained between them since they had left Johnny in the open lot not too far from Two-Bit's house. It was almost impossible for either of them to glance at each other let alone think of something to say. As far as they both were concerned they were each other's enemies until the problem between them was settled.

With this thought passing through both of their minds, the Curtis brothers continued their long journey home. Nothing could be said at this moment in time, Soda concluded, as he heard an owl screeching in a nearby tree. Even if he wanted to say something to Ponyboy it would only come out rude and hateful. He was beyond amused at the competition that had developed between them. Now he was only annoyed and determined to win quickly.

As he dwelled on these thoughts, Soda was faintly aware of the fact that their house was coming closer. Almost as if it were a mirage, the closer he walked towards it the farther it seemed to get. However, as he passed beneath a street light that was about three yards from his home, Soda could make out the familiar outline of his older brother standing in the door way. Darry's hands were rested on his hips and Soda had no doubt a cold and worried look rested in his older brother's eyes.

Preparing himself for the words that were about to be shouted at the both of them, Sodapop climbed the steps to the house and entered into it. The television was running and the light beside the armchair was on. Apparently Darry had been waiting up for them. Sighing softly, Soda fell back onto the couch, only to glance up at Ponyboy as he entered into the house.

The two younger brothers made eye contact for a brief moment before they looked away from each other. Distrust and undeniable pain rested in their eyes as Darry silently walked back to the armchair and sat down in it. His rough hands picked up the newspaper he had laid on the arm of the chair and he casually opened it and began to read again. His mind was whirling with thoughts and questions and yet he couldn't bring himself to ask his brothers what they were thinking. It was obvious both of them were too far gone into their own thoughts to pay his words any mind at the moment.

As the minutes ticked by and the silence remained between them all, Soda fidgeted slightly in his chair. Silence was never something he could stand and sitting still was almost as hard to do as being quiet. Finally, he jumped up from his spot on the couch and began to walk back and forth, his eyes looking toward Darry and Ponyboy occasionally.

"Somethin' botherin' you, Soda?" Darry's question came, almost indifferently as Soda froze near the kitchen door.

Shaking his head slowly, Soda looked indifferently toward his younger brother before looking back toward the paper that hid Darry's face. "Nothin'. Just not tired…"

"It's three in the mornin' and you ain't tired?"

"No. Gotta lot of thinkin' goin' on."

"'Bout?" Darry pressed casually.

"Nothin'."

Ponyboy's eyes flashed toward his brother dangerously as he listened to the response. Something in Soda's voice had caused the anger to flare up inside of him once more. Ponyboy, who had never felt something for a girl before, was now becoming overprotective of the Soc he had met not more than a month ago. The thought of his brother merely using her as another little pawn in his game passed quickly through his mind before he glared at Sodapop once more.

"So she's nothin' again, eh?"

Soda's eyebrow rose slightly as his brown eyes became dangerous once more. "We ain't talkin' 'bout that."

"Why not? You scared of some competition, Sodapop?"

"Not from you," Soda replied coldly. "You ain't no competition, Pony. She's outta your league. She's only bein' nice."

"To you maybe. Least me and her got somethin' in common."

"That right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Darry slowly lowered the newspaper, his eyes flashing between his brothers. Something had apparently occurred that he had been unaware of. However, he had a feeling he was soon going to discover what was bothering both of his brothers.

"What's goin' on?" he questioned, his eyes flashing between them once more.

"Nothin.." Soda replied coolly, his gaze turning from Ponyboy's face towards Darry's. "Pony's got a crush on some Soc at his school that's into me."

"She ain't interested in you!" Ponyboy retorted, his voice growing louder as he glared at his older brother.

"She is so."

"She ain't gonna be interested in someone that don't care 'bout no one but himself," Ponyboy replied coldly, his eyes flashing dangerously once more as he continued to gaze at Sodapop.

Almost instantly, the dangerous flare that was caused by the competition disappeared from Soda's eyes. His smile faded and a look of pain appeared on his face. His color ebbed away slightly, creating a look that Ponyboy had never seen before. Before he could register the expression on Soda's face, though, he watched as a weak smile appeared on his brother's face.

Before anything could be said, Soda had pushed passed Ponyboy. The sound of the screen door slamming shut behind him and the echo created from his footsteps descending the steps sounded around the two Curtis brothers. Neither Darry nor Pony knew what to say as Soda's outline disappeared into the darkness as he headed along the street.

Slowly, the realization of what had happened came to Ponyboy as the silence engulfed him. He had been so interested in winning the argument that he had completely forgotten who he was fighting with. Sodapop, who had always been by his side when he needed him, had been the only person he trusted and leaned on in the house. He was Pony's confidant and his best friend. Now Pony had driven him away all because of a Soc girl that had come into both of their lives.

A sigh escaped from his lips as he glanced toward Darry, realizing just how bad things were now. Even when Sodapop came back (which they both knew he would) things would never be the same between them. Ponyboy would never be able to talk to Sodapop the way he used to be able to until everything between them was settled.

Never before had Ponyboy had feelings for someone like he did for Cindy, but as he entered into his bedroom that night he realized that Cindy may not even feel the same way. She may not care about him like he did her and he was pushing away his older brother just to win her affection. Sighing in disgust, Ponyboy fell back onto his bed.

The competition had tainted his mind and caused him to forget just what was important in life. There were plenty of girls in the world. But there was only one Sodapop Curtis that he could count on. Never again would things be the same between the two of them just because a Soc girl smiled at him and caused his heart to soar.


	21. Chapter 21

The cool air brushed over her cheeks as Cindy sat quietly in the chair beside her cousin's hospital bed. The sound of the nurses and doctors quiet footsteps passing to and fro in front of the door caused the silence to disappear at some points in time; however no matter how many times the silence disappeared it always returned, causing a small frown to appear on Cindy's face. It had been a week since her cousin had been admitted into the hospital and now she was just anxious for her to come home.

As this thought passed through her mind, she heard a small groan escaping from Cherry's lips. Turning her eyes towards her, a smile replaced the frown as she watched Cherry struggle to reposition herself in the hospital bed. After she had settled back into a certain position, Cherry's eyes turned to look at her cousin as a smile lit up her face.

"Hey…"

"Hey."

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school or something?" Cherry questioned, turning her head slightly to look at the clock that rested on the wall.

Cindy merely shook her head in response, though, as she laughed softly. "I decided to skip school today. It would've been too awkward. Oh, I've got so much to tell you."

"About?"

"Them…" Cindy replied quietly after a small hesitation. She recalled that the Greasers were the reason her cousin was in the hospital in the first place and here she had been running all around town with them while her cousin was laid up in the bed. "Oh before I forget!" she exclaimed, hoping to distract her cousin's attention on her previous words.

A look of confusion appeared on Cherry's face as she watched her cousin reach into the bag she was carrying. As her hand was removed from the bag, Cherry couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the box her cousin held in her hands. "What's that?" she questioned curiously.

"I don't know. Two-Bit gave it to me for you," she replied, passing the box to her cousin.

A look of curiosity had replaced the confusion on Cherry's face as she took the box in her hand and examined it for a few moments. Why would Two-Bit bother to give her a gift? Did he feel somewhat guilty for her being in the hospital? As the questions clouded her mind, Cherry slowly undid the small bow on the box before sliding it open. A smile lit up her face once again as she examined the little silver necklace inside.

"I wonder where he got it…" she breathed quietly, her fingers running over the chain before she glanced back toward Cindy. Noticing the look on her cousin's face, though, Cherry quickly put the necklace back into the box before turning the conversation back to the topic that Cindy was trying desperately to avoid. "So what all happened?" she questioned.

"Nothing really exciting…"

"It has to be exciting. Come on, Cindy, what happened?"

Cindy bit her lower lip as she looked at her cousin, taking in the concerned look in her eyes. "Fine. I don't know what happened really. Sodapop and Pony have been acting strange. Neither of them seems to want to let the other be alone around me and it's just so confusing. I just don't know what's going on with them…"

"Do you think they like you?"

"I know Ponyboy does…"

"What about Sodapop?" Cherry pressed.

"I can only wish on that one," Cindy replied with a sigh. "Apparently he enjoys flirting with girls, at least that's what Pony made it sound like the other night." 

Cherry, however, merely shook her head slowly ignoring the remark that her cousin had just made. "Maybe they're fighting…"

"Over?"

Cherry looked at her, almost as if she was wondering how Cindy hadn't picked up on the entire idea. Taking in the look that her cousin was giving her, Cindy's eyebrows rose before the entire thing clicked in her mind. _She_ had caused some problems between them.

As this realization passed through her mind, she shook her head slowly, her eyes turning towards the floor. She couldn't believe it. She was just trying to be nice to everyone and she had ended up causing problems between two brothers. Uncertain of what to say regarding these thoughts, Cindy merely turned her eyes towards her cousin in question. What could she possibly do to make things better again?

As if Cherry had read her mind, she smiled slightly at her cousin. "You're going to have to choose, Cindy…" she replied quietly. "Do you want Ponyboy or do you want Sodapop? You can't have both…"

"I know…"

A small sigh escaped from Cherry's lips as she looked down at the box in her hands before she looked toward her cousin once more. "You may have to give up both of them…" she added, her voice turning quieter.

As she caught her cousin's words, a look of surprise appeared on Cindy's face. Her eyes flashed toward her cousin before she realized that Cherry was right. She couldn't have both and if she chose one the other would be upset. Her choice, then, was made. She'd have to give them both up.

Sodapop leaned quietly back against the DX wall, his eyes staring out at the area before him. No cars had come by that day and he had none left to fix; this fact left him to dwell on his thoughts which weren't all that interesting to him at the moment. Each moment that passed by, Soda couldn't help but think about the events that had occurred between himself and his brother. He simply couldn't understand what had gone wrong.

Never before had Soda doubted himself when it came to attracting girls, but for once Pony seemed to be giving him a run for his money. Was that the reason he was so competitive now? Was it because he was afraid of losing? Sighing softly, he ran his hands over his face as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Letting his hands fall from his face, his eyes turned toward his brother who looked somewhat apprehensive.

As Ponyboy neared him, Soda was uncertain of what to do and what to say. They hadn't even looked at each other since the night he left the house and he wasn't certain he could think of something to say to make up for everything that he had done to his younger brother. After all, what was one girl?

Before he could say anything, though, he heard Pony's voice breaking into his thoughts, causing his eyes to turn towards him once more. "I'm real sorry for what I said, Soda…" Pony's quiet voice came, his eyes flashing from the ground toward his older brother. "I don't wanna fight with you no more."

"I ain't mean for it to become a fight, Pony…"

"I know."

"I don't know what happened."

Ponyboy shrugged slightly, his eyes turning back towards the ground. Throughout the entire day he had been contemplating on how to approach his brother again. It seemed that the relationship they had before all of this started had disappeared and they were complete strangers again. Sighing softly, Pony kicked some of the dirt that rested beneath his feet before he looked at Sodapop again.

"I give up. You win, aight?"

Soda's eyebrow rose slightly as he took in his brother's words. "Won what?"

"The girl. You can have Cindy…" Pony replied, the pain shooting through his eyes before he looked toward the ground again. "We don't got nothin' in common and she's bound to like ya more anyways."

Sighing, Soda merely shook his head. It was too difficult to figure out what was going on between them. "You can talk to her better than I can, Pony. You know me, I don't have that great of a rep for keepin' girls around too long."

"I would have the same rep if I was as good lookin' as you," Pony replied with a small smile.

A grin lit up Soda's face as he shrugged, turning his eyes towards the gas pumps that rested not more than a couple of yards away. "Let's just forget it, eh? Whatcha say, Pony?"

"Aight."

Soda smiled as he watched his brother's face relax. The agreement seemed to bring both of them into a state of relaxation. However, as they turned to enter into the station, Soda couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at the dirt road. He wanted to see the Soc again and no matter what he told Ponyboy, he couldn't let her go just yet.


	22. Chapter 22

The sun hit roughly against their backs as the Greasers stood idly on the open lot. Their eyes were all staring intently at Darry and Dallas, who always found some way to be the team captains when they played football. As always, Soda and Steve sided with Dallas while Two-Bit, Pony and Johnny ended up on Darry's team. It was always best, though, to be on Darry's team. At least that's how Pony and Johnny figured it.

As they prepared themselves to play ball, a grin rested on most of their faces. It had been awhile since they had all relaxed and just had some fun. Darry had been working too hard and the rest of them had been in and out of trouble. Now, though, it was just time to forget all their problems and live life the way they wanted. As Dallas held the football in his hands, his eyes scanned the group of Greasers in front of him. He was ready to win, no matter what the cost.

"Aight, Soda, you fake left and I'll get it to ya," Dally stated, his attention turning back to his team. "After that, you get it back to me."

"Why back to you?" Steve questioned, his eyebrows rising as he took in the instruction. "What am I gonna be doin'?"

"Eatin' dirt if ya don't shut up and listen," Dally retorted coldly before glancing over his shoulder again at the others. "Aight, after I get it, I pass it to Steve and he passes it back to me."

"Got it, Dal…" Soda replied, his hand falling onto Steve's shoulder to keep him from saying anything. It was obvious enough to both of them that Dallas wanted to score the points and there was no use in arguing that fact. After all, when Dallas was determined nothing was going to sway his thoughts.

"Aight, let's go…" Dallas announced his attention turning completely toward the other team now as his team positioned themselves around them.

A grin appeared on Two-Bit's face as he prepared himself for the game. He knew the rules. He knew the tricks. He knew how to win and he was planning on it. However, before the ball could even leave Dally's hands, his attention was taken away from the game as a car passed by on the road that ran in front of the lot.

Two-Bit's eyes followed it closely as he waited to see what was going to happen. He knew for certain that it wasn't a car driven by a Greaser, it was too tuff for that. Instead, it was a car of a Soc and not any Soc either. A small smile appeared on his lips as he headed toward the road, watching as the car parked on the sidewalk beside the open lot. It didn't take long for the rest of the gang to realize something was up and they too headed in the direction of the car.

Two-Bit was the first to reach the car and without any hesitation he jumped into the back seat, his characteristic grin lighting up his face. "Well hey, if it ain't my favorite Soc and her cousin," he commented, his eyes dancing as he looked at Cherry calmly. "I see they let ya out or did ya escape?"

Cherry laughed softly as she looked at him before glancing toward the others that had just arrived at the sidewalk. "I think they let me leave. Although I might've escaped, I can't be sure sometimes…" she commented with a small smile.

Two-Bit chuckled slightly as he rested back in the car, his legs propping up on the top of Cindy's seat. "What about you, girl? You escaped from those Soc guys of yours or do they not know you're here?"

"What?" Cindy questioned, a look of confusion appearing on her face as she faintly caught sight of the two Curtis brothers exchanging looks. At the sight of them, though, she fell silent once again. It was impossible for her to not feel awkward around them just yet.

As silence surrounded them, Two-Bit jumped out of the car and walked around toward the driver's side door. Smiling, he held out his hand, his eyes never leaving Cherry's face. "Come on. We're playin' football and we can always use a few cheerleaders…" he joked as Cherry took his hand and jumped out of the car.

Laughing softly once more, she headed toward the open lot, leaving Cindy looking completely confused behind her. Apparently her cousin had been hit in the head harder than she thought or her opinion on the Greasers had changed. Before the accident Cherry wouldn't have dreamed of being caught with the Greasers and now she was gladly going with them.

Deciding she could figure it all out later, Cindy reluctantly followed after her cousin and stood quietly beside her. Her eyes scanned the lot before they settled on the two teams that were once again facing each other. A look of determination rested on each of the Greasers' faces as they prepared themselves to face each other in the game.

Within a few moments, the football game began and before she knew it, Darry had stolen the football and was headed in the opposite end of the field. The game continued in this fashion before the other team finally called it quits. No matter how determined Soda and his friends were they obviously weren't much of a match for Darry.

As they quickly exchanged friendly handshakes, Cindy glanced toward her cousin hopefully. She hoped that they'd at least be able to escape before the Greasers returned to talk to them. This hope, however, was completely dashed as Cindy realized that her cousin had no intention to leave. She was having fun and that was something not even Cherry would walk away from.

Deciding she wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon, Cindy sighed in resignation before heading toward the car once more. Leaning back against the smooth red door, she watched as the gang separated and some headed in various directions. She was unable to keep her eyes away from the two younger Curtis brothers as they stood around continuing to talk to their friends.

Almost as if Soda could feel her eyes on him, his attention turned towards her, causing her to look away quickly. Biting her lower lip, Cindy pretended to be interested in something else until she heard footsteps heading in her direction. Glancing up, she smiled politely as she took in the dancing brown eyes that Sodapop possessed.

"Hey…"

"Hi…"

"Eh, enjoy the game?" he questioned, his eyes drifting back toward Steve who was apparently trying to give him support without being too obvious about it.

Cindy, who was trying her hardest to avoid eye contact with him, didn't notice Steve's attempts as she shrugged slightly. "It was…interesting…" she replied with a small laugh. "Does he always beat you guys like that?"

Soda laughed slightly as he shook his head, his eyes turning back toward his older brother. "Eh, not always. We do better…"

"Do you?" she questioned teasingly.

He nodded slightly as a grin lit up his face. "Yeah. Got a little distracted I guess…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

She smiled softly as she nodded, uncertain of what else to say in response to his words. Deciding that she couldn't let an awkward silence return between them, though, she fidgeted slightly in her spot before looking towards him. "You seem to be in a happier mood now."

A confused expression appeared on his face as he looked at her, not quiet comprehending what she was referring to. "Eh?"

"Yeah, the last time I saw you you looked like you wanted to punch someone."

"Oh…" Soda replied, his eyes flashing briefly towards his younger brother before he looked back at her. "Yeah, guess I'm better."

"Good…" she replied. However, before she could say anything else, she felt her cousin pulling on her arm, causing her to jump slightly in surprise. She hadn't even heard Cherry approach.

"Time to go, Cindy. Come on…"

"I'm coming," she responded tiredly before she turned back to look at Soda. A smile crossed her lips before she climbed into the car. "Well, good luck next time you have a game…"

"Thanks. See ya."

"Bye…" Cindy replied as her cousin started the engine and drove off. As the Greasers disappeared into the distance, Cindy rested back against the seat, a smile on her lips. "Well that wasn't as bad as I thought."

"Oh really?" Cherry questioned, laughing softly. "You were pure puddy in his hands you know."

"Was not!" Cindy replied indignantly.

Cherry merely laughed more as she continued to drive along the road. She had no intention of telling her cousin what was about to happen that night. After all, it would only be amusing to her if she surprised Cindy.


	23. Chapter 23

Cherry sat quietly in front of her vanity set, her eyes focused on her reflection as she applied a bit of blush to her cheeks. She couldn't understand what she was so excited about, but she certainly was excited. Her heart was beating faster than it had been in awhile and she was feeling butterflies in her stomach. Something was happening to her and she couldn't explain it. She knew the cause of it though: Two-Bit.

As this thought passed through her mind, she studied her reflection once more before turning around in her chair. In the mirror's reflection she had spotted her cousin, causing her to turn around out of mere curiosity. As she looked at Cindy patiently, a small smile appeared on her lips. She wanted to encourage her cousin and after the conversation she had had with Two-Bit earlier that day she hoped that she was doing the right thing.

Knowing that what she was going to drag Cindy into tonight was against the things that they had agreed upon earlier, she rose from her chair and crossed her room. Her eyes never left her cousin as a look of worry appeared in them; Cindy had remained silent and that wasn't like her at all.

"What's wrong?" Cherry questioned, her eyes scanning over her cousin's face before she sighed softly. "You haven't changed your mind have you?"

Cindy shook her head slowly as she looked at the outfit her cousin had laid out on her bed. Cherry was going all out for this evening and Cindy couldn't help but smile at the thought. Her cousin had slipped deeper into the traps of a Greaser than she had and that was saying something. As she allowed this thought to escape her mind, she smiled reassuringly at her cousin.

"I'm just worried, Sherri. What if everything goes wrong?" she questioned, not at all certain what was going to happen. She had a feeling, though, that something was going to happen that she wouldn't like.

Cherry merely shook her head, though, pretending to not notice the fear in Cindy's voice. "Come on, Cindy, you've got to have some fun before Mark comes back into the scene again. Let loose for a bit…" she replied, knowing that she wasn't sounding at all like herself. In her mind, she cursed Two-Bit for the spell he had placed on her; she no longer was afraid of being around them and she knew this would change almost everything in her life.

Deciding, though, that she wouldn't worry Cindy with these thoughts, she pushed her slowly towards the door. "Now go and get ready. We're leavin' soon…"

Cindy sighed softly before allowing her cousin to lead her from the room. As Cherry's door closed behind her, Cindy couldn't help but glance over her shoulder at it. It seemed abnormal for Cherry to rush her into getting ready just for a night on the town with a few Greasers. Yet, everything she had considered to be normal before was different. Cherry was different. The Greasers were different. Even she was different.

With this realization fresh in her mind, Cindy headed toward her room and quickly got ready for the evening. She wasn't interested in seeing what was going to happen. Instead, she was only interested in getting the evening over with as fast as she could before something terrible occurred.

* * *

The stars rested above them as Two-Bit leaned quietly back against a lamp post. His eyes stared straight ahead of him as his mind whirled with the conversation that he had had earlier with Cherry. It seemed almost as if it had occurred in a dream now, but the smile on her face couldn't have been any more real.

"_Ya wanna come to the Double with me tonight?" he questioned as he held the football in his hands._

_Cherry looked at him, somewhat uncertainly before smiling and nodding slowly. "Sure, that sounds fun…"_

"_Great…" he replied, his eyes flashing towards Sodapop who was trying his hardest to impress Cherry's cousin. Smiling in amusement, Two-Bit brought Cherry's attention towards this point, causing her to laugh softly. _

"_He does like her doesn't he?" her voice questioned calmly._

"_I guess."_

"_You guess?"_

"_Can't tell with him," Two-Bit replied. "Gotta way to find out though."_

"_How?" Cherry questioned curiously. _

_Two-Bit laughed as he glanced toward the other two quickly. "Invite them with us. Don't let her know though, aight? I ain't gonna tell him."_

"_Alright…" Cherry agreed quietly after a few moments of hesitation. She wasn't too certain this plan would work but it was worth a try._

"Whatcha so quiet for, Two-Bit?" Soda's voice questioned, shattering Two-Bit's memories.

Shaking his head slightly to clear his head, Two-Bit turned to look back at his friend as a small grin lit up his face. "Who said I was thinkin' 'bout somethin'?" he questioned.

Soda's eyebrow rose as he looked at his friend in utter disbelief. "You think I'm gonna fall for that?"

"Worth a try."

A small laugh escaped from Sodapop's lips as he continued to look around them. He wasn't certain what he was doing out with Two-Bit at this time of night. It seemed strange for him to go anywhere with Two-Bit, mostly without Steve or anyone else along.

As this realization passed through his mind, he heard footsteps heading in their direction. His dancing brown eyes turned in the direction of the noise. As he recognized the figures emerging from the darkness, a grin appeared on his face before he realized what he was doing. Forcing the smile to disappear, Soda placed a look of indifference on his face as Cindy stopped in front of him.

He noticed the look of surprise on her face as she glanced at Cherry and then back at him. Apparently she hadn't been aware of what was happening either. Before either of them could say anything, though, Two-Bit had already begun to walk off with Cherry, leaving the other two to follow.

As Soda walked beside her, he felt a small feeling of awkwardness emerge between them. He wanted more than anything to say something to her, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. It seemed too strange to start a conversation with her when he knew Ponyboy would be pissed off with him if he found out. Before he could get away from her, though, he heard her voice breaking the silence between them.

"So where are we going?"

"I ain't gotta clue," he admitted quietly, his eyes never turning to look at her face. Instead they stayed focused on the dark concrete beneath his feet. "Why'd you come along?"

Cindy glanced toward him, frowning a bit at the tone of voice he used. "Cherry invited me," she replied curtly.

Noticing the change in her tone, Soda chided himself mentally as he sighed softly. He hadn't meant to insult her but he had anyways. "Eh, you excited?"

"I was."

This comment caused his eyes to glance towards her quickly. A smile appeared on his lips as he took in her sincere expression. "Really?"

Cindy only nodded in reply as she continued to walk, uncertain of what else to say. As the Soc beside him remained silent, Soda found his thoughts racing despite himself. He wanted to reach out and take her hand. He wanted to at least show her he was somewhat interested in her. However, that would completely go against everything that had already been promised to his younger brother. As he found himself suffering from an internal conflict, Two-Bit climbed into the stands of the Nightly Double.

Soda, following after the rest of them, entered into the stands and took a spot beside Cindy. His eyes flashed towards her briefly before he turned to look at the movie screen before them. It was impossible for him to say anything to her that wouldn't sound stupid. Sighing in disgust at himself, Soda wondered how he had allowed Two-Bit to coax him into going along with this idea in the first place. He should've figured something was wrong.

Before he could glance in Two-Bit's direction, though, he heard the familiar voice of the Brumly boys coming up behind them. Glancing over his shoulder, Soda's eyes flashed dangerous as one of the hoods headed in his direction. Listening to the chair behind them squeak, Soda closed his eyes briefly, hoping that nothing was going to happen. Perhaps the hood would just go away. However, that was too far-fetched to happen.

"Whatcha got there, Greaser?" the familiar voice came, causing Soda to turn around. His eyes followed the direction the hood was looking and as his gaze fell on Cindy Soda felt his heart drop slightly.

"Nothin'."

"Got a date with a Soc?"

"No…" Soda replied coldly, feeling Cindy's eyes turn towards him in slight surprise.

"Ya sure?" the hood pressed, noticing the look of pain that had appeared on Cindy's face.

Soda nodded slowly, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that Two-Bit and Cherry were watching him in shocked surprise. "Yeah, I'm sure. What kinda guy you think I am?"

The hood merely smirked as he looked at the rest of them, "I think ya the kinda greaser that's gotta date with a Soc."

"I ain't into no Soc."

"Not that one?" the hood questioned, nodding towards Cindy.

Soda glanced toward her briefly before he turned back to the Brumly boy. "Mostly not that one."

"Aight. Good, grease…" the hood replied before his attention turned toward Two-Bit. "What 'bout you grease?"

"Yeah I gotta date with a Soc. Gotta problem with that, hood?" Two-Bit questioned indifferently, his eyes flashing dangerously.

The hood merely shook his head before leaning back in the chair to enjoy the movie that had come onto the screen. As the noise from the projection filled the area around them, Soda turned back to face the screen. Unable to prevent himself, he allowed his eyes to drift toward Cindy. Noticing the look on her face, he felt his heart sink even more as he struggled to think of an explanation.

"Hey…" he muttered, hoping to not disturb the others. However, he didn't have to worry about that since it seemed that Cindy had no intention of replying to his comment anyways. "Hey, Cindy…"

"Leave me alone…"

"Come on…"

Cindy sighed as she looked toward him, her eyes slightly red from the silent trail of tears that had slid along her cheeks. "Just let me alone," she repeated before standing up and pushing past him. As she disappeared along the rows and into the crowd of cars below, Soda ran his hands over his face. For once he had failed. He had said the wrong thing. Done the wrong thing and now he was paying for it.


	24. Chapter 24

Cherry knocked quietly on her cousin's bedroom door, making certain she remained as silent as possible so that she didn't wake up her parents. After knocking a few times and receiving no answer, Cherry let a small sigh escape from her lips as she glanced down the hallway cautiously. If her parents caught her out of bed right now, she'd be grounded for the next few months. However, her cousin's well-being was more important than her own selfish needs so with one final glance down the hallway she pushed open the door and sighed.

Her eyes scanned the room slowly before they fell onto her cousin, who was lying with her head beneath the pillow. Soft sniffles were coming from beneath the pillow and Cherry could only imagine the pain and humiliation that Cindy was suffering. She had been gazing at Sodapop, hoping he'd notice her, since she had met him and now he had gone and basically blown her off as unimportant.

As the memories of the evening passed through her mind, Cherry moved slowly toward the bed and sat beside her cousin's body. The sniffles that continued to escape from beneath the pillow were heartbreaking as Cherry pulled it away from Cindy's head. It took a few moments for her cousin to look up at her, but when she did, Cherry could tell she had been crying her heart out for a few hours.

"You okay?" Cherry asked quietly, her hand running comfortingly along her cousin's back. She knew how painful this all had to be for her and yet she couldn't do anything to cure it. It was something Cindy would have to get over on her own.

Cindy's eyes, which had drifted toward her cousin as the pillow had been pulled away, were red and puffy as she gazed at Cherry in absolute misery. No words could escape her lips as she merely shook her head and rested back against the bed once more. She had thought that Sodapop had felt something between them. Yet she had been wrong and in the process had gotten her heart broken into pieces. Why hadn't she just listened to Cherry and stayed away from them?

"Cindy?"

A small mumble was the only reply to Cherry's words. At least she knew that Cindy was paying attention to what she was saying.

"Cindy, I feel awful about this. It was all my fault…" she began, biting her lower lip gently. It had been her and Two-Bit's idea to put the two together and she had caused her cousin pain as a result. So much for her being a great cousin. "I'm so sorry this happened to you…"

"It's not your fault," Cindy whispered as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her eyes looked directly into her cousins' as she attempted to let a weak smile appear on her lips. "It's my fault. I should've listened to you to begin with. You're right, they're nothing but trouble."

Cherry sighed softly as she shook her head, her mind flashing almost immediately to Two-Bit before she wrapped her arms around her cousin, giving her a hug. "Not all of them are."

"All the ones I see…"

"Oh, Cindy…" Cherry murmured, hearing a small sniffle come from her cousin again. "Sodapop isn't the most important person in the world. He isn't even that good looking…"

"Who are you kidding? He's nearly perfect…" Cindy muttered before sitting up, her eyes glancing towards the window. Staring into the night sky, her mind began to wander and her thoughts dreaded on the dangerous territory of who she had just lost from her life. "I always thought he liked me, though…"

"He's a boy, you can't tell with them."

"I know…"

"Come on, there's others."

"No one but Mark," Cindy replied, a look of disgust passing briefly over her face as a faint look of amusement flickered in her eyes.

Cherry, taking advantage of the topic change, laughed softly, hoping to keep her cousin away from her previous thoughts. "Can't you just see him now? Strolling along thinking he's the tuffest?" she joked, listening to her cousin's soft laughter.

"He's not tuff."

Cherry nodded in agreement as she smiled softly. Cindy seemed to be, at least for the time being, drifting away from her depressing thoughts and towards something more amusing. Hoping things would stay that way, Cherry was just about to open her mouth when she caught sight of the clock beside the bed. An alarmed look appeared on her face as she jumped up from her cousin's bed and snuck towards the doorway.

Listening intently, she heard movements coming from her parents' bedroom meaning that her father had woken up just on time.

"I've got to get back to my room," she whispered, a frown appearing on her face at the thought of leaving her cousin to her misery.

"It's fine. Have a good night…" Cindy replied, her voice as quiet as her cousin's had been.

Nodding slightly, Cherry gave her cousin a small, apologetic smile before opening the door and slipping into the hallway outside. As the door closed quietly behind her, Cindy fell back onto her bed, her eyes turning back towards the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't bring her thoughts away from the evening's events.

* * *

"I can't believe ya!" Two-Bit's voice nearly hollered as he walked along the deserted streets with Sodapop at his side. The entire conversation between Sodapop and the hood still haunted his mind and he couldn't help but dwell on it more than Sodapop did. It had taken him a lot of time and patience to think up a way to help Soda and when it was all said and done, Sodapop had blown it.

"Don't rub it in, Two-Bit."

"Like hell I'm gonna let it go. I worked hard gettin' that plan together and ya blew it cause of some hood?"

"I know, Two-Bit."

"Ya don't know nothin'…" Two-Bit huffed, his hands slipping into his pockets as they reached their neighborhood.

The familiar landmarks passed around them as the two Greasers walked in silence, neither of them able to talk to the other. Two-Bit was beyond amazed at what had happened; now the evening seemed like a complete waste of time to him. As for Sodapop, his thoughts kept replaying the conversation over and over again.

As the two reached the Curtis' porch, Soda sighed slightly before flopping back down onto one of the steps. His eyes stared straight out into the darkness as he listened to Two-Bit throw open the screen door and enter into the house. It didn't take long before he heard Steve's voice questioning the evening and as Two-Bit recounted it to him, Soda could feel himself growing ill. He knew what Steve's reaction would be; it'd be worse than Two-Bit's.

It wasn't Steve's reaction, though, that he was worried about. It was his brother's. Before he was even able to think of something to say to make up to Ponyboy what had just happened, he heard the screen door open and a pair of feet heading towards him.

Glancing up, Soda's eyes met with his younger brother's causing a small chill to run throughout his body. "Hey…" he muttered, his eyes turning back to stare into the dark night. There were no stars that evening and nothing left to help take his mind away from his misery.

"Why'd ya do it?"

Soda sighed slightly, his fingers running through his hair as he shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to look at his brother, it would've made him feel worse. "I dunno."

"You hurt her?"

"Yeah…yeah I did…"

"And?"

"And what, Pony?" Soda questioned, his eyes flashing to look at his brother. "What do ya wanna hear? That she hates me? That she don't want nothin' to do with me?"

The reaction, although not what he had expected, didn't seem to make that big of an impression on Ponyboy as he merely shook his head. "I was just gonna ask how ya felt 'bout it…" he replied, a pained look in his eyes. "But, I get it. You're mad. I can see that, Soda. But just remember, some Soc ain't worth losin' your friends over…"

Sodapop groaned slightly as he listened to his younger brother's footsteps head back towards the house. Perhaps he was right; one girl wasn't something to lose your life-long friends over. However, one hood wasn't something to lose one girl over either. Sighing in frustration and confusion, Sodapop pushed himself off the steps and headed toward the door. The noise around him was nearly inaudible as he passed through the rest of the gang and headed toward his room.

As he fell back on his bed, Soda's eyes glanced toward the window tiredly. There had to be something he could do to make everything right again. There had to be a way to make things right with his brother, his friends, and the Soc girls. The question was what was it that he could do?


	25. Chapter 25

The sound of laughter, giggling and whispering filled the air around her as Cindy walked quietly along the hallways of the high school. Her thoughts engulfed her, making her unaware of the actual things that were being said and laughed at. Her thoughts brought her under a small wave of sadness as she reflected over what had happened the previous weekend.

How could she have been that stupid to think that he actually cared about her? How could she be so ignorant to think that she was any different from all the other girls that were attracted to him? Apparently to him it was just a game and she had fallen right into that game and become a pawn for him to play with. Sighing in disgust as these thoughts cascaded repeatedly through her mind, Cindy slammed her locker shut and turned around, her back pressing against it.

Before her, she could make out the happy and joyful faces of the other students that attended the school. Everything seemed to be going perfectly for them and if it wasn't, they certainly could hide it well. As her eyes flickered amongst the happy expressions, her eyes caught sight of her cousin heading toward her. Uncertain of what to do, Cindy pushed herself off the locker and began to head nonchalantly in the direction of her first class. She was hopeful that Cherry wouldn't recognize the back of her head. However, hope seemed to be failing her an awful lot recently.

"Hey, Cindy!" her cousin called out. Cindy listened to the quick footsteps behind here which merely informed her that Cherry wasn't about to stop and let her get away. If Cherry wanted to talk then there was nothing left for Cindy to do but talk.

Trying to convince herself that everything would go well, Cindy came to a stop and turned around to look at her cousin. "Hey, Sherri…" she said, a weak smile appearing on her lips as she watched her cousin take a deep breath.

After Cherry had regained the breath she had lost in the chase, she let a smile appear on her lips. Apparently it was her intention to cheer her cousin up, however, as she looked at Cindy she wasn't exactly certain how she was going to do that. It was obvious to her that Cindy was still shaken up a bit over what had happened at the movies and ever since that night Cherry had been trying to think up a way to repay her cousin for the pain and humiliation she had had to go through.

Unfortunately, Cherry had yet to come up with anything and therefore found herself playing it by ear as she walked along the hallway with her cousin. "So, how're you today?" she questioned, hoping the jaded question wouldn't bring out too loaded of an answer. She didn't want to push Cindy's mind back to the pain if she didn't have to.

Cindy, though, only shrugged in response as she passed between a group of football players. "Fine, I guess. Just trying to keep busy, you know?" she said, glancing at her cousin briefly before stopping to wait for a couple of people to pass by. "How about you?"

"Busy," Cherry admitted as she bit her lower lip. She realized the conversation was going worse than she had previously thought it would; however, she couldn't give up just yet. "Did you see the poster for the dance coming up?" she questioned.

"Yeah…"

"Are you gonna go?"

"I don't know. Are you?" Cindy questioned, glancing at her thoughtfully.

Cherry merely shrugged in reply as they stopped outside a classroom. Her eyes flashed through the window in the door before she sighed, realizing it was the class her cousin was about to attend. "I guess you'll have to find that out later," she said teasingly as she watched a small smile appear on Cindy's face. "I'll see you after school."

Without another word, Cherry headed down the hallway toward her next class. Sighing as her cousin disappeared from view, Cindy entered into the classroom and took her usual spot near the front of the room. As she pulled out her notebook and placed it before her on the desk, her mind began to wander back towards the weekend. Was it possible that she had made a mistake in thinking his flirting meant something or was he just trying to prevent himself from getting too involved? The questions, once again, began to flow through her mind as the teacher's monotonous voice began to lecture.

* * *

Sodapop rested motionlessly beneath a car, his eyes staring blankly above him. He had been in the same position for a few hours now and not once was he able to make himself start working on the car. How was he supposed to fix something else when he couldn't even fix problems with himself? Sighing in frustration, the Greaser pushed himself out from beneath the car and headed toward a work bench nearby.

Resting back against it, the glazed look remained on his face as his mind wandered back a few days. The scene at the movies played itself over and over in his mind and continually he watched himself make the same mistake over and over again. Growing annoyed with himself and the memory, Soda shook his head slowly before pushing himself away from the wall. There was only one thing for him to do and he knew what it was. Tossing down the rag that he had been using to clean his hands, he left the garage.

* * *

The final bell rang, signaling the end of another torturous day in school. As Cindy headed toward her locker, she had to admit that the day seemed to go by faster than usual and yet she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Slowly slipping into a debate with herself over whether it was a good thing or not, she entered into the bright sunlight and started to walk in the direction of the trees.

She knew that Cherry would be standing around wondering where she was, but Cindy had to take a break. She had to stand still and breathe. She had to think. As this conclusion came to her mind, she fell back lightly beneath the tree and closed her eyes, resting her head against the hard bark. Slowly the thoughts that had been haunting her all day ceased to run through her mind and the events from the weekend stopped tormenting her. She was finally at peace. Unfortunately, Cindy found that peace couldn't last for long.

"Hey…"

As she took in the familiar voice, a look of surprise appeared on Cindy's face. Her eyes flashed open and as she looked up, she couldn't help but let a small smile appear on her face.

"Hi…"

"Can I sit?" Soda questioned, his eyes glancing toward the ground beside her before he looked back towards her.

Cindy nodded slightly as she watched him fill the empty space next to her. Uncertain of what to expect at this point, she was beginning to feel a bit nervous when she felt his hand on hers. A look of surprise appeared on her face as she glanced toward him questioningly. No doubt he was trying to express something to her but at this point Cindy wasn't certain she wanted to hear.

Unable to tear her eyes away from him, though, Cindy waited for his words to come. Yet, none did. Soda merely let a smile appear on his face as he gazed into her eyes, apparently having not found the words he wanted yet.

For a few moments they sat looking at each other, neither of them breaking the silence or the gaze between them. "Something wrong?" Cindy asked quietly after a few minutes, deciding it was time to break the silence and move on with the conversation before her cousin wandered over to shoo him away.

Sodapop shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers as the smile remained in place. "I…I just wanted to apologize for how I acted…" he began, noticing the look that appeared in Cindy's eyes. Apparently the topic was still a sore spot for her and he didn't blame her. He'd hate himself too for what had happened.

"I see…"

"Yeah, that aint the way I usually am…" he began again, becoming a bit hesitant at this point in time. "Ya gotta understand that."

"I get it."

"No ya don't," he sighed, feeling her hand slip out of his. "I'm sorry, alright? I know it aint much but I am…"

Cindy nodded slightly, her eyes turning away from his face as she let a small sigh escape from her lips. "It's fine," she replied after a few moments of silence. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold the grudge against him forever. "It's just, I misunderstood things, that's all."

Sodapop sighed, shaking his head slightly as his hand moved to her cheek. Turning her face towards him, he smiled slightly before leaning in and pressing his lips firmly against hers. Smirking slightly against her lips, he pulled away a bit earlier than he wanted to. However, as he turned his eyes towards hers again, he found she had gotten the hint. The anger seemed to have ebbed away slowly.

"I…" Cindy began, biting her lower lip as a smile began to appear on her face. Unfortunately, at that moment, they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching and before the person could come into view, Sodapop jumped up.

"I've gotta go…"

"I figured that," she replied, smiling slightly as she rested back against the tree trunk again.

A look of remorse appeared in his dark eyes before he glanced in the direction of the approaching individual. "I'll call you sometime…" he said, turning to look back at her sincerely before heading off in the opposite direction.

Smiling to herself, Cindy nodded before she glanced in the direction of the approaching person. Within a few moments, her cousin had come around the trees, causing Cindy to groan slightly. "It's just you…"

"Just me? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sorry…"

"Yeah well…" Cherry began but stopped, noticing the smile on her cousin's face. "What happened?"

"Nothing…"

"You're lying."

"Maybe I am," Cindy replied as she rose from the ground and passed her cousin. "But you aren't going to find out," she joked as she headed in the direction of the car. As she passed through the school grounds, Cindy couldn't help but let her mind wander. This time, though, the thoughts were a lot more enjoyable.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: My apologies for the delays in everything. I know that it's been awhile and I appreciate those that continue to support my writing.

* * *

The feelings that passed through her body were unfamiliar to Cindy as she sat quietly in her cousin's car. The wind blew through her hair and her eyes danced as she relived the moment with Sodapop over and over in her mind. Perhaps she was being stupid and childish to think that he actually cared for her (she had, after all, learned before that he could make her think such things). However, this time, there was no mistaking it. He had to care for her.

Knowing that her cousin was most likely dying of curiosity, Cindy remained silent as she got out of the car and hurried toward the front door. Her mind was whirling as she headed upstairs, knowing it was only a matter of time before Cherry came in to force the information from her. She wanted to keep her cousin in suspense as long as possible, though, or at least until she worked out how to tell her just what had happened.

As she dropped her books onto her bed, though, she heard Cherry's door opening quickly before hurried footsteps headed toward her own door. Biting her lower lip, she laid back on her bed and pulled a book towards her, hoping that her cousin would see that she was studying and postpone the conversation.

No such luck.

"We've got to talk, Cindy…" Cherry stated, moving toward the bed and sitting beside her cousin. She didn't care at the moment that she was sitting on her cousin's school books or that she was interrupting her. She had to know what was happening and why.

Cindy casted a small look of mocked annoyance towards her cousin before she lowered the book and sat up. "What's so important, Sherri?"

"You."

"Me?" she questioned.

Cherry gave her a look, a look that could only mean one thing: she knew something was going on and she was going to find out.

Cindy attempted to avoid her cousin's gaze by rearranging her school books, hoping that Cherry would take the hint and leave. Apparently, though, luck simply wasn't on her side today.

"What've you been all happy about this afternoon? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that you're happy, but you weren't earlier. What happened after school?"

"Nothing exciting."

"Something happened," she pressed, a look of concern appearing on her face. "What was it?"

Cindy glanced toward her cousin, knowing that if she postponed the truth any longer Cherry was liable to think up some crazy reasons for herself. That was something that neither of them would want to deal with later. Sighing softly as this realization passed through her mind, Cindy looked toward her cousin before returning to fiddling with her books again.

"Sodapop kissed me…" she muttered, her eyes never leaving the books.

A look of confusion flickered over Cherry's face as she leaned closer, attempting to understand the words that had escaped her cousin's lips. "What?"

Another sigh escaped Cindy's lips before she turned completely to face her cousin. "I was sitting around waiting for you after school and Sodapop came up. We started talking and he kind of…just kissed me."

The effect that occurred from this statement was one that Cindy hadn't predicted and she was sorry she had neglected to do so. It had never occurred to her that Cherry might find this information terrible and yet as she caught the look her cousin was giving her, she knew now that it was.

"Excuse me…"

Cindy merely nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Cindy, you can't…he's a Greaser. You'd get into so much trouble with everyone. You don't know what you're doing…"

Cindy merely continued to look at the books, fiddling with them a bit more before she sighed. "You know, Sherri. I never said we were getting together or anything. Just that he kissed me. Maybe it was just him trying to make things better from the other night…"

As the realization of that sentence fell over her, Cindy felt her hopes break slightly. Was he just making things better or did he really mean it? Hoping it was the latter option, she turned to look at her cousin, giving her what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. No harm…"

The unconvinced look on Cherry's face informed her perfectly well that she didn't completely buy the story and excuses that Cindy was trying to give her. However, she seemed satisfied enough to rise from the bed and head back towards the door. As her hand fell onto the doorknob, Cherry paused before glancing over her shoulder at her cousin. "Just stay away from him, Cindy. I know he's good looking and everything, but please…don't get caught in it all like I am…"

As her cousin's parting words coursed through her mind, Cindy laid back on her bed, thinking. Was she doing the right thing by abiding by her cousin or was Cherry wrong for once? There was only one way to find out and as she turned over onto her bed and picked up a book, she began to hope more than ever that Soda would call.

* * *

"Well, I did it," Soda muttered, entering into the garage, a drink in his hand.

"Did what?"

"You know…"

Steve slipped out from under the car, a look of confusion mixed with amusement on his face. "Whatcha do?" he questioned again, rising from his spot and heading towards his own drink that rested on the bench.

"I went to see her."

Steve paused briefly, taking a sip of his drink as he eyed his best friend cautiously. He recalled the events of the weekend clearly and had been kind enough to remind Sodapop of the events every moment he could. So why would his best friend dare risk his freedom and sanity by going after the Soc?

"And?" Steve questioned.

Soda grinned as he looked at his friend, shaking his head slightly. He had shared everything with Steve since he could remember, but for some reason he simply didn't want to share these thoughts. They were too personal. "You'll have to find out later," he replied, slipping beneath the car with a slight laugh.

Steve laughed slightly in response before he kicked Soda's feet, "Ya gonna tell me?"

"No."

"Why ya bring it up?"

"Make ya curious," Soda replied, laughing as he began to fix the car. "Gotta admit it worked."

"Yeah, Greaser, it worked," Steve replied, shaking his head slightly as he leaned against the car, thinking over what could have possibly happened. "Gonna tell Darry or Pony?"

Soda paused briefly as he attempted to decide what he wanted to do in regards to his brothers. After a few moments, he shook his head although Steve couldn't see him. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Ya full of questions today."

"Just askin," Steve replied before dropping the subject.

Soda remained quiet as Steve got to work as well. For some reason, he couldn't tell his brothers yet, not even Ponyboy. He was too worried about the possibilities of what could go wrong between himself and Cindy. If something went wrong again, he didn't need it to be rubbed in his face. Coming to the decision that this was his sole reason for not telling his brothers, Soda continued on with his work, making a mental note to call Cindy when he got home that night.


	27. Chapter 27

The sound of running footsteps sounded on the front porch steps, causing Darry to look up from his evening newspaper. He had had a rough day and had pulled yet another muscle in his back, the last thing he wanted at the moment was unneeded noise. Watching as the front door swung open and then slammed shut, Darry allowed a small sigh to escape his lips.

"Where's the hurry, little buddy?" he called after Sodapop, who skidded to a halt in front of the kitchen.

He hadn't expected Darry to be home yet, making what he was about to do a lot more difficult. "Eh, nothing, just hungry.."

"Get to makin' supper then. It's your night."

"I made it last night."

"You entered the kitchen first," Darry replied, turning back to looking at the newspaper.

A small frown appeared on Soda's face as he headed into the kitchen and swung open the refrigerator to see what all they had. He certainly wasn't interested in making dinner tonight; all he wanted to do was get to the phone as quick as possible before Cindy began to think he was joking with her again.

Piling things on the counter, Soda kept repeating the number he had read earlier in his head. He couldn't forget it, mostly after how much work Steve had gone through to get it for him. Repeatedly he messed up on the food before he finally slipped it into the oven and reentered the living room. Glancing towards Darry, he made certain that he was deep into whatever he was reading before he picked up the phone and began to dial the number.

His heart raced quickly as he listened to the dial tone disappear and a deep voice come through from the other end. "Hello?"

"Is Cindy there?"

"Who's calling?"

Soda glanced cautiously towards Darry, hoping he wasn't listening in on his conversation. "A friend from school."

"Hold on a moment," the voice replied before the phone was placed down. Silence. It was the only thing that Soda could hear besides the pounding of his own heart. What was he doing? Why was he so nervous over talking to her? She was just another girl, wasn't she?

Trying to convince himself that there was no reason to be nervous, he glanced once more towards his older brother in what he hoped was a casual way before he heard the phone being picked up on the other side.

"Hello?"

Again, his heart raced as he listened to her voice, trying to think of something to say.

"Hey, Cindy. It's Soda…"

Across on the other end, a smile appeared on Cindy's face as she listened to him. Thankful that her uncle had left, she turned all her attention toward the phone conversation. "How're you?"

"Good, you?"

"I'm fine…"

"That's good," Soda replied, becoming a bit uncertain of what else to say. Never before had he been so nervous and tongue-tied while talking to a girl. "I wanted to talk to you about earlier."

"What about it…?" she questioned, hoping against hope he wasn't about to say what had happened was a mistake. She had been reliving the same moment over and over and wanted it to have meant something to him.

"Just that…" he began but stopped. There was a strange scent in the air and that could only mean one thing: their supper was burning. Glancing toward Darry, who had lowered his paper, Soda casted him an apologetic smile before he returned hurriedly to the conversation. "Just that I enjoyed it and I wanted to see if ya wanted to hang out this weekend. Me and you…"

Cindy smile brightly, her eyes flashing towards the door to the kitchen to make certain that no one was standing in the doorway watching her. "That sounds great, I'd like that."

"Great, I'll talk to ya 'bout it later," he replied, uncertain of what to say before he quickly hung up.

Hearing the dial tone return, a look of confusion appeared on Cindy's face before she replaced the receiver on the base. Leaning back against the wall, she attempted to record the memory in her mind before she returned to her room, naming this day (mentally) as the greatest day of her life.

As the phone was replaced onto its base, Soda glanced nervously towards his brother, who was giving him a look her couldn't read. "You burnin' the food?" Darry asked.

"Guess so…"

"Gonna go turn it off?"

"Yeah, I'm goin'…" Soda replied, hurrying to the kitchen before taking a deep breath. He knew that Darry was most likely forming questions in his mind as to why Soda had allowed the food to catch fire, but at the moment he was thankful he had avoided the questions. It was too early to tell Darry he was going to go out with a Soc.

Pulling the food from the oven, Soda placed it on the counter before dividing up the food. Everything was becoming complicated, which wasn't something Soda was used to. How was he supposed to keep a secret like this for long? Wouldn't someone notice eventually that he was hanging out with the Soc? What would they say?

Pushing the thoughts from his mind the best he could, Soda finished up the food before putting it onto the table. Listening to his younger brother enter into the living room from their shared bedroom, he glanced toward him. Would Pony be able to figure it out? Once again the thoughts forced their way into his mind as he sat down at the table and began to pick off the burnt pieces of food.

He was perfectly aware that both of his brothers were giving him looks and each for a different reason; Pony's were most likely of concern since he had yet to say anything all evening, but Darry's….Darry's were mostly of curiosity. He knew something was happening. Attempting to avoid the looks, though, Soda quickly finished off his food before putting his dish in the sink.

Heading towards the front door, he entered into the dark night. Sitting on the front porch, he looked straight ahead of himself as he let his thoughts get away with him again. For once in his life, he wasn't going to let anyone depict what he was going to do; Sodapop was going to live his own life and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure he was happy with Cindy. No one was going to take that from him.


	28. Chapter 28

The evening was planned, or at least it was in his mind, as Sodapop stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom looking at himself thoughtfully. There wasn't much he could do with his hair besides slick it back a bit more and there certainly wasn't anything he could do with his clothes. Sighing slightly, he ran his fingers through his hair before he adjusted his shirt slightly, making it look the best he could.

"Best it's gonna get…" he muttered to himself as he left the bathroom and headed out into the living room. Entering into it, he fell back onto the couch, his eyes flashing briefly towards the clock on the wall before he turned to look at the television. He had kept the events of the evening to himself, not bothering to even confide in Steve this time. He wanted to make sure everything went perfectly before he told anyone. After all, he didn't want to make a fool of himself again.

Repeatedly, the plans for the evening cascaded through his mind as he blankly watched the action on the small screen. Continuously, his eyes flashed toward the clock before he finally pushed himself off the couch and headed toward the door.

"Where you goin'?" Darry's voice came as he looked toward his brother from his chair near the lamp.

Soda hadn't predicted anything like this; what was he supposed to tell him? He was going out with a Soc?

"Nothin…goin' for a walk," he replied, grabbing his jacket and slipping into it. Hearing his best friend jump up from his spot, Soda's eyes flashed toward him briefly before he laughed slightly. "Where ya think ya goin'?"

"With you…"

"Why?"

"Why not?" Steve questioned, a puzzled look passing over his face briefly. They always went out together, unless of course some girl was coming along. That was the only time they went solo.

"Just wanna go by myself…to think…" he replied, giving his friend a smile before heading out the door. As the cool evening breeze hit against his face, he let out a small sigh of relief. This was a bit more complicated than he had thought. He hadn't realized it would be so difficult to slip away. However, those obstacles were behind him now as he headed in the direction of the park, the only place he could think of that was neutral enough to meet at.

Leaning against a nearby tree, Soda's eyes looked straight ahead of himself into the dark. There was a feeling of nervousness growing within him and for some reason he was enjoying it. For once a girl had caught his attention and he wasn't planning on letting her go.

* * *

Cindy scurried through her room, grabbing her purse and a jacket before stopping abruptly in front of her door. It would be too obvious to her cousin if she just sprinted out of the house without saying anything. Then again, it would be a bit strange if she left the house alone to begin with. Deciding, though, that this night was worth the risk, she slipped into her jacket and quickly entered into the hallway.

The silence around her was reassuring as she walked through the hallway and then down the stairs, making certain to make as little noise as possible. Soon, she let out a sigh of relief as she entered into the dark night. The chilly wind blew against her as she headed in the direction of the park. As she began the somewhat long journey, she allowed her mind to drift toward the events that were about to unfold this evening. She couldn't help but allow a smile to appear on her lips as she thought over all the possibilities; something was going to happen, and she had a feeling it would be something amazing.

* * *

His eyes flashed toward his watch as he waited nervously in his spot. She was running late, by at least fifteen minutes, and Sodapop couldn't help but think that she was standing him up. After all, what would be the best way to get revenge on him from what had happened a few weekends before? As he allowed his eyes to turn back toward the darkness again, a small smile appeared on his lips as he watched a figure emerging from the darkness.

"Hey…"

"Hey," her reply came as Cindy stopped before him, looking up into his dancing eyes with a smile. "Sorry I'm late. Took awhile to get away from Sherri…" she explained, feeling as his hand took hers into his own.

Glancing down to their hands, a small blush crossed over her face and she for once was thankful that it was dark. At least now he wouldn't be able to see the effect he had on her. Listening to his steady breathing beside her, they began to walk through the park before entering onto the road that ran behind it. Their conversation was scarce as Sodapop led her toward their final destination: the movie theater.

Entering into the movie theater, Cindy risked a glance in his direction. Noticing the look of thoughtfulness on his face, she remained silent for a few moments as they found some seats and sat down. Glancing toward him again, she bit lightly on her lower lip before situating herself somewhat in her seat.

"How've you been…?"

"Good."

"Oh that's good…" she replied quietly, hoping the conversation wasn't about to die out again. "You seem awful l quiet tonight."

Sodapop's eyebrows rose slightly as he glanced in her direction, allowing a grin to appear on his handsome face. "Sorry. Just nervous I guess. Wanna make sure this all goes well…" he admitted before he was able to prevent himself. Chiding himself mentally, he wasn't at all certain why he had admitted this to her. After all, Sodapop was not one known for being nervous at all.

A small giggle escaped from her lips as she squeezed his hand slightly, looking into his eyes. "I'm nervous too…" she admitted quietly, watching as he studied her expression apparently trying to decide if she was being sincere or not.

"Glad I'm not the only one," he replied with a slight laugh before he settled back, his hand slipping out of hers before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. There was something about her that drew him in and he had a feeling she felt the same way towards him. At the end of the night, though, he'd know for sure.

An hour later, Cindy glanced up toward him, her eyes taking in his expression as she rested her head lightly against his shoulder. She hadn't realized when they had gotten into such a position, but she couldn't help but enjoy it. Everything about him was so intoxicating she simply couldn't deny it. As this thought passed through her mind, she rose from her seat, allowing her arm to wrap around his waist as his remained around her shoulders.

"That was a nice movie…" she commented, still uncertain on if he wanted to talk or not. Either way was fine with her, though, she simply enjoyed his company and she had a feeling he felt the same about hers. Watching as he nodded in agreement, she laughed softly as they entered into the evening once more. "You don't say much…"

"Sorry…" he replied, a grin appearing on his face as he looked down into her eyes. "Just thinkin'."

"About?"

Sodapop hesitated for a moment, debating over how he wanted to say what he was thinking. He knew it was a stupid idea and he knew it was rash, but that had never prevented him before from doing anything. Why should it now?

"Eh, things…"

"Like?" she pressed, laughing.

"Like I know we ain't hung out much alone or nothin', but would you be girlfriend?" he questioned, his eyes turning to look directly into hers.

A look of surprise passed through her eyes a moment, feeling her face redden once more. "Really?"

"Yeah…"

Unable to prevent herself, Cindy smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling as she gazed into his. "I'd love to Sodapop!" she exclaimed, before lowering her voice, watching as a few people leaving the theater gave her a look of curiosity mixed with annoyance.

A grin lit up his face once more as he brought her body closer to his, unwilling to let go. The walk home remained silent between them and yet neither of them seemed to mind. Both were too lost in their thoughts as they stopped in the park once more. Turning to look into his eyes, Cindy couldn't help but smile up at him. She took in every detail of his face before she leaned in and kissed him lightly.

"Good night…" she whispered against his lips before moving away slightly and smiling. "I'll stop by the DX tomorrow," she promised before giving him a bright smile and heading in the direction of her cousin's house. The return trip was a lot shorter than the previous one, Cindy noticed, as she entered into the silent house and headed upstairs to her room.

Falling back onto her bed, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh of contentment. Everything was falling into place just perfectly, the only problem was, she didn't know if she should tell her cousin or not.

* * *

Watching as she disappeared into the darkness, Sodapop sighed happily. Everything that he had planned had worked out exactly as he had hoped and as he entered into the noisy house, he glanced around, hoping none of the others would notice the grin on his face. After all, what was he supposed to tell them?


	29. Chapter 29

Sodapop lay quietly in bed, the sunlight streaming through the open curtains as he looked silently at the ceiling. His thoughts kept repeatedly going over the events of the previous night and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Cindy's face. The look of happiness in her eyes made his heart skip a beat briefly. Turning over in the bed, he brought the covers closer to his body before he sighed, hearing footsteps heading in the direction of his room. He knew it was too good to be true— staying in bed this long without anyone bothering him—and finally here was his wake up call.

Feeling he mattress sink slightly beside him, Soda remained motionless for a few moments before he felt his brother's pillow come down on his head. A muffled curse escaped from his lips as he sat up, his eyes flashing towards his best friend as he raised his eyebrows, trying to think of something to say to the rude awakening. The fact was, though, Steve was lucky he was already awake or he would've given him a good whooping for what he'd just done.

Instead, though, Soda merely pushed Steve away, a devious smile passing over his face. As he passed from the room, he allowed the thoughts of how to avenge himself run through his mind. There were so many things he could do to repay Steve for the less than kind wake-up call; however, before he was able to come up with the perfect idea, he heard his younger brother's lazy voice drifting towards him.

"You sick or somethin', Soda? You ain't ever sleep this long."

Shaking his head slightly, Soda sat back on the couch, his eyes adjusting to the bright light of the room as he rested his head against the back of the couch, watching the television. "Was just thinkin'."

"Bout?"

"Nothin'"

"Liar," Pony muttered, but he decided to let it go. There was no use in causing something this early in the day. He and his brother were finally getting back on good terms and he didn't want to go messing it up because of his stupid curiosity.

As the silence filled the room, Sodapop's gaze remained on the television, his thoughts, though, did not. As the memories of the previous night began to take over his thinking again, a small smile appeared on his lips. Why was it so hard to get the happy expression on her face out of his mind? Why was she so addictive to him?

Sighing contently, Soda was hardly aware of the fact that the screen door had opened and Dallas had entered, followed closely by Johnny. Hearing the sound of the loud talking, though, drowning out the noise from the TV, he turned his attention towards the conversation.

"You ready?"

"No."

"Why not?" Dally asked, impatience etched into his face as he looked around at the lounging Greasers. "What you guys waitin' on?"

"Darry aint here yet," Two-Bit replied.

"We ain't gotta wait for Darry."

Steve laughed, his gaze flashing towards Johnny and Ponyboy as he considered the possibilities of beginning the football game without Darry. Truth be told, the others would get creamed if they played without the eldest Curtis. With this thought in mind, his gaze drifted toward his best friend, who looked to be deep in thought. Raising his eyebrow slightly, he was tempted to question the strange pensive behavior but stopped, looking towards the front door.

"Cheatin' now, Dallas?"

Glancing over his shoulder, a small smirk passed over Dally's lips before he shook his head slightly in response to Darry's question. "Course I ain't. You ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," he replied, turning from the waiting group and entering out into the bright sunlight. As the Greasers walked toward the empty lot, Steve glanced toward Soda uncertainly. There was certainly something on his mind; the question was: what was it?

"Somethin' buggin' you?"

Soda glanced toward him, smiling slightly. "No. Why?"

"You're outta it."

"Plannin' my strategy," Soda replied jokingly, his eyes dancing as he stopped behind Dallas on the lot. His eyes turned toward the other team, sizing them up like he always did. Everyone knew the outcome of the game, it rarely changed from the previous one, but still it was fun guessing what was going to happen.

Setting up in his designated spot, Soda waited, his eyes focused on Dallas, who naturally handled the ball the most. After all, no one wanted to get in his way which tended to work in their favor. However, before he could even spot a touchdown coming, Dallas stopped in his tracks, his eyes turning toward the road.

Turning to look in the same direction, a grin appeared on Soda's face as he watched Cherry and her cousin get out of the car. His eyes remained on the young Soc as she headed toward them, a look of curiosity on her face as she stopped on the edge of the lot, looking at the group that was all lined up ready to play.

"Mind if we watch?" Cherry called, not bothering to notice the fact that all the Greasers had frozen in their spots. What did that matter, though? They weren't doing anything too wrong.

"I ain't got a problem with it," Soda replied, his eyes flashing toward Steve, waiting for him to agree. However, Steve hesitated, glancing toward Darry and Dallas as he contemplated what to do. Noticing the look in Soda's eyes, though, he nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I ain't gotta problem either."

"Me either," Two-Bit replied, shrugging it off as he headed toward Dallas, ripping the ball from his grasp.

Dallas, who had apparently been taken off guard, growled slightly before taking off after Two-Bit, his eyes blazing. He was the only one that should make a touchdown and that was that.

As the game slowly came to an end an hour later, Soda glanced toward the two Socs, noticing they were still there. His eyes danced, studying them as they talked animatedly to each other about the amateur game.

"What're ya lookin' at?"

"Nothin," he replied, not bothering to look toward Steve. He couldn't risk his expression giving him away.

"You got somethin' for Cherry's cousin?"

"What makes ya say that?" he questioned, his mind suddenly flashing back to the incident at the movies with the hoodlum. His denial had caused too much pain for both of them; it wasn't worth repeating again.

"Just the way you're lookin' at her."

Soda remained silent, watching as Cindy rose from her spot and headed toward him, Cherry right behind her. He couldn't read the expression on her face; had she told Cherry about them already or not?

Uncertain as to how to act around her, Soda grinned as the two girls stopped before them. His eyes shifted toward Cherry's face, studying the expression on it. Yet, still unable to tell if she knew the truth or not, he looked toward Cindy, who appeared to be studying Steve's expression. They both knew the consequences of being together and at that moment they seemed more real than they had the previous night.

"Hey, Soda, could you come check out something for me?" Cindy questioned suddenly, her eyes turning to look directly into his. "I think I heard something making noises on Sherri's car…"

Soda noticed the confused look on Cherry's face, however for some reason she wasn't saying anything in response to this tale that Cindy was spilling. "Yeah, sure…."

Smiling, Cindy led him over to the car before bending down on the other side, hiding them from view. As she made sure that no one could see them, she looked into his eyes smiling softly. "I missed you," she muttered, feeling somewhat embarrassed in her statement. After all, why should she miss him if they'd only been together for such a short time?

A look of surprise flickered through Soda's dark eyes as he took in her words before a smile appeared on his face. "I missed you too," he replied, sitting back against the tire of the car. His eyes turned from hers, staring out across the road at the empty area. "Did you tell Cherry?" he asked quietly after a few moments, unable to contain himself anymore. He needed to know, just so he knew what to do while the others were around.

Watching as a small frown appeared on Cindy's face, he sighed slightly.

"No…"

"I ain't told Steve either."

She smiled slightly, yet the look of happiness wasn't there like it usually was. "Should we?"

"I dunno."

"Me either…" she muttered, sitting next to him on the ground.

Reaching out, Soda took her hand into his. Staring down at it, he smiled before turning to look into her eyes. "Eh, don't matter right now though. They can't see it," he replied before leaning towards her, kissing her lightly.

A smile crossed her face as she returned the gentle kiss before she pulled away. Her eyes remained closed for a few seconds before she turned to look into his eyes. Instead, though, her gaze was torn from his face at the sight of the person behind him.

Looking up toward the person's face, a look of horror appeared in her eyes as she recognized Steve's unimpressed and somewhat disgusted expression. "What the hell are you doin'?" he questioned, not bothering to hide his feelings on the matter.

"Nothin."

"That ain't nothin."

"Shut up, you wanna get everyone over here?"

"Why ain't you tell me?"

Soda raised his eyebrow slightly as he rose to his feet, Cindy rising to hers as well. "I wanted to avoid this kinda conversation…"

"You lyin' to me, Sodapop."

Soda smiled slightly, his eyes looking directly into those of his friend's. "Why do ya think I didn't tell you?"

Steve merely looked at him, his mind racing as the possibilities rushed through his mind. Before he could respond, though, he heard Soda's voice breaking the silence once more.

"You ain't gonna tell, are ya?"

Steve shrugged slightly, his eyes flashing towards the ground before turning to look back at Sodapop. He and Soda had been best friends since grade school and had told each other everything; why now was Soda keeping secrets? Sighing slightly, Steve ran his fingers through his hair before turning on his heel and heading back toward the vacant lot.

Uncertainly, Soda watched him go, feeling Cindy's hand slip from his grasp. Turning to look at her, he watched as she climbed into the passenger side of the car. "Where you goin?"

"Back to Sherri's…"

"Why?"

Cindy looked at him, a bit surprised by his question. "So we can think about what to do. Call me tonight, alright?" she asked, smiling softly before leaning over and honking the horn for her cousin.

As she heard her cousin climb in and the car start, Cindy chanced a glance over towards Sodapop. Something had to be decided and soon, that was all she knew.


	30. Chapter 30

Thoughts and worries passed through Sodapop's mind as he watched the Socs drive off in the direction of their side of town. Nothing could penetrate the reoccurring memory that continued to pass through his head as he turned from the vacant lot and headed toward the house with his brothers and friends. What was Steve going to do? Would he honestly give away Soda's secret just because Sodapop hadn't confided in him from the very beginning?

As these thoughts passed through his mind, he bit down lightly on his lower lip. The consequences that would come if Steve spilled his secret were endless. Not only would Steve be mad at him but so would most of the other guys, including Ponyboy. He couldn't do that to Pony yet. They had just gotten back on normal terms with each other and he couldn't jeopardize that. Concentrating on these thoughts, he absent-mindedly sat back on the couch, listening to the others talking about the upcoming rumble next week.

"You awful quiet, Soda," Two-Bit called, leaning back against the chair he had settled in. Turning to look towards him, Soda noticed that most of the gang had looked toward him, all of them had the same confused and concerned expression on their face. All, that is, besides Steve, who merely glanced toward him and then looked away. Could he really have hurt his best friend that much by not telling him straight up what was going on? Realizing he had yet to answer Two-Bit's statement, he merely shrugged in response before turning on the television. Perhaps that would distract them from their questioning thoughts in regards to him.

However, his plan seemed to fail almost immediately. Listening to the sound of approaching footsteps, he didn't have to look up to know that Darry had come to sit beside him. That was one thing about Darry, he always seemed to know when something was wrong with him and he never failed to question what it was. Concentrating hard on the action on the screen, Soda attempted to ignore him for a few moments but found it impossible. Glancing toward him, he gave him a grin, one that didn't reach his eyes.

"What's wrong with you, little buddy?"

"Nothin, just tired."

"You sure? You ain't lookin' too good," Darry commented, noticing how much paler his brother was turning by the minute.

Soda shrugged slightly, unable to think of a response to this. Was his nervousness really beginning to show? Would he possibly be able to make himself tell all of them what was happening? Could he risk it? Remaining silent as these thoughts ran through his mind quickly, he felt the cushions shift slightly and glancing up noticed that Darry had returned to his normal spot in the kitchen.

_Why can't I just tell them? _He wondered, his eyes flashing toward Steve. However, Steve was intent on avoiding his eye-contact. Sighing slightly to himself, hoping no one had heard, Soda rested back against the couch again, unaware that Ponyboy was paying close attention to the reactions on their faces.

As the minutes passed by, Soda found himself becoming submersed in his thoughts, unable to escape them no matter how hard he tried. Finally, he pushed himself from his chair, unable to bare the silence anymore. He had to get out. He had to get away from the uncertain glances that the others continued to send in his direction. Before he could make it out the front door, though, he heard Steve's voice addressing him.

"Gonna go see your little girlfriend?"

Soda froze. What could he possibly say to that? How could Steve even bring that up? Slowly he turned around, flashing a grin at the rest of the gang who were all watching him closely now. This was it. He was now going to have to reveal it or allow Steve to.

"I don't know whatcha talkin bout."

"Lyin' still, eh?" Steve questioned, his tone different from what Soda had ever heard it. Never before had he had to face Steve in this mood. This was the Steve all the others had to deal with, but never Sodapop.

Soda remained silent, his dark eyes had lost the amusement and excitement they normally held. He had nothing left to say in response to his best friend. Steve would reveal what he had seen, that much Sodapop knew, but what he didn't know was how long Steve would torment him this way. How long would he keep the secret?

Soda seemed to hold the gaze with his best friend for what felt like hours. Neither of them said anything and neither of them wanted to. It was a silent battle: Sodapop vs. Steve. Finally, Soda looked away, his eyes flashing towards the ground as he began to think quickly; there had to be some way to keep Steve from telling the waiting gang everything. Some way.

"You know I was gonna tell you," Soda muttered, his gaze turning back toward Steve.

"Yeah? When?"

"Soon."

"You're lyin to me again. From what it looked like you wasn't gonna tell no one. Not even me."

"I was gonna."

A dangerous look flashed through Steve's eyes as his arms folded over his chest; there was something in Soda's voice that didn't convince him. For some reason, he could tell that Sodapop had no intention of telling him anytime soon. "Why dontcha just tell them all now then?"

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Why take that enjoyment from ya?"

Steve smiled slightly, unable to prevent it. "It aint fair to Cindy."

Soda's heart stopped, his eyes flashing toward Ponyboy before he looked toward Steve again. The expression on Pony's face was slowly switching from confusion to realization. Soda couldn't stand that mixed expression. Once Ponyboy knew….well, that was that.

"Whatcha mean?" he questioned, his voice becoming softer. Perhaps if he spoke quieter the others wouldn't hear him. Foolish thought, but it was comforting for the moment.

"You know what I mean."

A shrug came from him; he was growing more and more defenseless. How could his best friend do this to him? It was almost as if he was trying to make Soda give in just so he could have his revenge on him.

Steve continued to simply look at him, waiting for a response. Waiting for anything. But it didn't come, instead his eyes flashed toward Ponyboy as he stood up, his eyes flashing.

"You're dating Cindy?"

Sodapop turned around, his eyes focusing on his brother's. He saw the pain and the betrayal deep within them, but that was all masked by the fury and rage that was coursing through Pony's veins. He had once again upset him and this time it hadn't even been intentional.

"Pony…I…"

"You are!"

Sodapop glanced toward Steve merely out of habit. It would be at this time that he would jump in and get into the argument, but not this time. This time Sodapop was left on his own.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around at all of them. Each seemed to be looking at him hard and cold, waiting for his words. "Alright, yes. I'm dating the Soc," he announced, feeling the guilt at keeping the secret disappear. However, before he could enjoy this light feeling too much, he felt a body being thrown onto his back.

Moving his hands to block Pony's fist, Soda had to realize what was happening before he could completely defend himself. It seemed as if Pony had jumped on him and had all the intention of beating the hell out of him.

"You promised…" Pony yelled, his fists colliding with any part of Sodapop that he could reach. Soda muttered a few words that were muffled by the actions happening around them. No one seemed intent on pulling Ponyboy off of him, at least not at this moment in time. Finally, pushing him off, Sodapop jumped up from the floor before heading straight for the door.

There was no reason to look around and no reason to even think about the rest of the gang. If they were going to be that pigheaded about it all, he'd just find somewhere else to hang out for the night. It didn't matter. He had done what he thought was right. He was with the one girl he cared for more than any other. They weren't going to take all that from him. With these thoughts in his mind, Sodapop pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he began to walk, having no idea where he was going or any idea where he'd end up.


	31. Chapter 31

How could this happen? How could everything change so quickly, just because of one incident? How could he had let things come this far? Then again, how could things have changed because of his mistake?

These were the thoughts that passed through Sodapop's mind as he walked along the slowly darkening streets. He had nowhere to go and he certainly wasn't going to return home, not after everything that had happened there. No, his best bet was to continue to walk and allow himself and the others to calm down before anyone did anything else to hurt someone.

Sighing softly, his fingers ran through his hair, not caring right now about how it looked. He knew his brother had given him a nice bruise to his eye and he felt the pain from the few other bruises Ponyboy had been able to sneak in. However, they didn't affect him. They didn't matter. Figuring out how to fix everything was what mattered. And as his thoughts turned in this direction, his mind suddenly came up with a place to go.

Turning down a street rarely walked by Greasers, Soda headed to the opposite side of town; the side of town that was forbidden to him and to his friends. It was the Socs' territory. That didn't matter at this point, though, he had to talk to someone and Cindy seemed to be the only one that he could think of. At that moment, she was the only person he could confide in and talk to. With this decision rested firmly in his mind, Sodapop allowed his footsteps to lead him in the direction of the high-class houses before he suddenly stopped. Down the street, he could see Cherry's car sitting inside the open garage; he knew where to go, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to do it.

What would happen to him if he continued on his walk? Worse yet, what would happen to Cindy if she got caught talking to him in this sort of neighborhood? Horrible thoughts flashed through his mind and he staggered backwards some, attempting to decide what to do. He needed to talk to her, but there was no way of doing so without alerting someone at the house. Frowning a bit, he leaned back against the street sign, looking at the house that was slowly becoming less visible as the sun set. There had to be a way. There just had to be.

Coming to the decision that he would risk it, even at her sake, Sodapop headed toward the house. He walked quietly through the yard, thankful for the trees that hid him from view. Stopping beneath one of the larger trees, he looked up through the branches, catching sight of Cindy's back through one of the upper windows. Smiling to himself, he looked around on the ground before picking up a few small pebbles. Looking behind him to make sure the area around him was clear, he concluded it was safe and began to throw a couple of the pebbles at the window.

Inside, Cindy stood against the wall of her room, looking directly at her cousin. There was an awkward silence among them for some reason and Cindy couldn't quite figure out why. Had Cherry guessed what was going on or was there another reason for her quiet behavior? As her mind began to work out the solution to this question, Cindy was faintly aware of the sound of something hitting her bedroom window. Sighing in annoyance as it continued to grow, she moved toward it and pushed it open.

Looking down into the yard below, her heart skipped a beat as she caught a glimpse of Sodapop hiding among the trees down below. Smiling brightly, she watched as he waved her down and after nodding in agreement, she turned to leave. However, she froze in her spot, spotting her cousin looking at her suspiciously.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Cindy lied rather quickly as she picked up her jacket and slipped into it, all the while avoiding her cousin's gaze. "I'll be right back. I think I left something in your car earlier," she hastily continued before hurrying from her room. As she entered into the yard below, the looks her cousin was giving her were wiped from her mind as she hurried in the direction of Sodapop and soon found herself in his warm embrace.

"What're you doing here?" she asked quietly, pulling away some so that she could look into his eyes.

Soda shrugged slightly, a grin appearing on his face as he looked down at her, glad to see someone that wasn't giving him a look of hatred or betrayal. "I wanted to see ya. That's all."

"You sure have a strange time of comin'."

He laughed slightly before taking her hand and pulling her from the shadows of the trees. It was too risky to stand in the yard any longer, eventually someone would come outside to see what was going on and Soda couldn't be caught on the Valance's property; that'd cause too much trouble.

Allowing herself to be led from the trees, she walked along the street with him, her body moving closer to his warmth as his arm slipped around her waist. There was something about the expression on his face that worried her but she didn't dare ask any questions yet, she didn't want to interrupt his thoughts after all.

After continuing on in silence for awhile, though, Cindy realized he was most likely not going to say anything else. Building up her courage and preparing herself for whatever response he may give her, she looked toward him again, a look of concern in her blue eyes. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

Noticing the slight hesitation in his nod, she sighed softly before stopping. Her hand moved to his cheek and as she turned his face towards hers, she had to stop the gasp of surprise that was close from escaping her lips. In the light of the streetlamp, she could see the bruises forming on his face clearly now and as she brushed a finger gingerly over them she couldn't help but feel it was her fault.

"What happened?"

"Nothin'."

"Soda…"

"Got into a little fight, that's all…"

Cindy nodded slightly, debating on if she wanted to continue on with her questions. Her curiosity, like always, got the best of her and therefore she couldn't help but continue. "With who?"

Soda hesitated, his eyes looking towards the ground before he looked back into her eyes. Something about the look of concern she was giving him made it nearly impossible for him to lie. "Pony…"

"You got in a fight with Ponyboy?" she whispered, the answer catching her off-guard. She had expected another Greaser, or a hood or even a Soc, but never Ponyboy. "Why…?"

"I don't wanna talk 'bout it no more. Let's just walk…" he stated, his eyes turning from her once more. There was no part of him that could come out and say that it was her that had caused it all. He couldn't look her in the eyes and tell her that she was the reason he'd lost his best friend and his brother's trust. He just couldn't do it.

Nodding slightly in response to his words, Cindy resumed the walk they had been on, heading in the same general direction they had been going. Nothing was said between them for the rest of the walk, but that didn't seem to matter. Both of them were too deep in their thoughts to notice or to care and yet it was simply nice to be together. It just felt right.

As the wind around them began to pick up and the evening turned colder, Sodapop finally decided to head back to her house. He couldn't keep her out later, mostly knowing she could end up getting sick because of it. As he stopped in front of her house half an hour later, he allowed his arms to wrap around her waist, bringing her close to himself. He didn't want to let go, not just yet. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead gently, unable to kiss her lips due to the trouble that had caused so far.

"I'll see ya tomorrow…" he whispered, a smile appearing on his lips before he pulled away, looking into her eyes once more. Cindy nodded slightly, smiling up at him before she kissed his cheek. Backing away, she gave him a small wave before she headed toward the house. As the door closed behind her, Sodapop sighed softly. So the evening had turned out well after all. Nothing had ruined the time he had had with her and with this thought he became determined once more to make things better between himself and his friends.

As the determination coursed through his veins, Sodapop turned from the house and began to head down the road. Yet, as he left from the shade of the trees, Cherry's eyes followed him. An expression of annoyance and uncertainty rested on her face as she thought about what she had just seen. Her cousin, the one she had tried so hard to keep away from the Greasers, was now dating Sodapop Curtis and the consequences to that would be hard for all of them.


	32. Chapter 32

The days passed by slowly, each one taking along with it a piece of Sodapop's misery. Every day things seemed to calm down a bit more, at least in regards to his friends and family. Whether this was because he rarely saw them or because he was focused on other things, he couldn't be sure of. The fact remained, though, that things seemed to have calmed down. As this realization passed through his mind, Sodapop looked up at the car that rested over his head; as he worked on the break lines, he heard the sound of the door opening to the garage.

A small sigh escaped his lips as he pushed himself out from beneath the car and turned his attention toward Steve. Ever since the day Steve had found out about Cindy nothing had been the same. They hardly talked and it had gotten to the point that Soda believed Steve was literally avoiding him. Whether it was because Steve was still angry or he didn't know how to act around Soda now was unclear, but he was certain that he wasn't being paranoid. Steve was avoiding him.

Watching as his best friend dropped off his jacket on a nearby bench and then took a few of the tools to the car beside Soda's, the young Greaser couldn't help but let another sigh escape him. There had to be some way to make up for everything that had happened. There had to be some way for him to convince Steve to talk to him again. Even Ponyboy was talking to him again even if it wasn't with the same trust and admiration that he had before.

With these thoughts cascading through his mind, Sodapop slipped beneath the car once more and continued on with his work. For once he didn't want to be the one to be the peacemaker. He didn't want to have to console everyone and fix all the problems on his own. It was someone else's turn. Coming to this decision, he worked for a few more hours before pushing himself out from beneath the car again.

Rising to his feet, he headed toward the bench where he had disposed of his things and after cleaning up some he grabbed his jacket and slipped into it. Hesitating slightly at the door, he wondered if he should say something to Steve to break the uneasy silence between them and yet, finding himself unable to, Sodapop left from the garage and began the long and lonely walk back to his house.

* * *

Entering into the house from the cold, harsh winds, Sodapop headed toward his room, ignoring the small, forced greeting that came from Ponyboy. Entering into his room, he fell back onto his bed, his eyes closing almost instantly as he tried to relax all the aching muscles in his body. The past few weeks of work had been murder, mostly because he had been working a bit harder trying to earn some extra money. He needed the money, even if it was just a little bit.

A small smile crossed his lips as he thought about the possibilities. It was important to him to raise the money for the...

"When'd you get home?"

Opening his eyes, Sodapop looked toward the door to his room, a small smile appearing on his face as he shrugged slightly in response to his older brother's question. "Few minutes ago. You?"

"Few hours ago…" Darry replied, hesitating slightly before continuing. "Everything goin' okay? You been workin' a lot lately."

"Things are good."

"You sure? Pony and you gettin on okay?"

"Better than a month ago…"

As an awkward silence emerged between them, Soda half wished he hadn't of said anything. It had been hard on all of them the last few weeks, mostly since it was taking half the gang a lot longer to get over Soda's decision than the other half. Trying to forget about the awkward times he had had to endure lately, Soda placed a grin on his face as he sat up, looking at his older brother.

"What ya say we go out for the night?" he suggested, his dark eyes dancing at the thought. It had been awhile since he had seen Darry out of the house and having a good time. However, Darry merely shook his head as he always did, preventing Sodapop from even continuing on with his new idea.

"Not tonight, little buddy. Why don't ya go out there and talk to Pony…"

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Don't know."

Something in Darry's eyes made Sodapop question the statement that had come from his brother; something about the look Darry gave him made it clear that he knew exactly what was going on and yet was attempting to get the two on better terms once more.

Sodapop, however, shook his head this time, unable to give into his brother's request. "I don't think so. I've gotta lot of things I gotta do…" Soda replied, rolling over on his bed as he began to fish for something on the opposite side of the bed. Listening as Darry sighed and then retreated from the room, Sodapop couldn't help but feel bad as he sat up again. Why had he just blown off a chance to talk to his younger brother? Was he still sore about the last month?

* * *

Cindy walked quietly along the sidewalk, listening to the cars rushing by her in a hurry. Everyone seemed to be in a rush these days, why couldn't they just settle down and enjoy the life that they were living? Sighing softly at the thought, she felt a pang of guilt pass throughout her as her mind suddenly rushed in a completely different direction.

Suddenly, the memories of the past week began to play throughout her mind once again. The look on Sherri's face and the sound of disappointment and pain in her voice as she confronted Cindy about her relationship with Sodapop; the look of doubt and worry that rested in her cousin's eyes as she promised not to tell the others, but yet they seemed to have guessed something was off, at least that's what Cindy thought from the way they had been treating her lately.

Sighing softly, she ran her fingers through her hair, knowing that things would get easier and yet wondering when they would do so. After all, the Greasers and Sherri couldn't stay mad at her and Sodapop forever. Eventually they would just have to accept the idea and move on with their lives. But then again, what if they didn't? What if they continued to treat Sodapop badly…

As she recalled the look of pain in Sodapop's eyes and the way he stayed silent around her caused another pain to shoot throughout her body. It was her fault that Sodapop wasn't talking to Steve anymore and it was her fault that Ponyboy and Soda were growing apart slowly. Why hadn't she just kept to herself like Sherri had advised? Why had she caused so many problems among everyone?

As these thoughts cascaded repeatedly through her mind, she was hardly aware of the sound of someone approaching her. Yet, hearing the familiar voice behind her, she had to stop, her gaze turning to look at the Greaser behind her.

"When you gonna let us get back to livin' our lives?"

Taking in the statement, Cindy remained silent, having no answer to give Steve at all. There was nothing she could say in response to that. He seemed as if he was reading her thoughts as he continued to look at her, a cold gleam of hatred growing steadily in his eyes. He had lost his best friend because of her. He had lost the only person he had ever confided in and talked to like a brother.

"When ya gonna let Soda have his life back, eh? When you gonna let him be happy again?"

A fresh wave of guilt passed over her as Cindy turned around to face him, noticing that he was now right behind her. Fighting to keep any tears from appearing in her eyes, she hoped the expression she was giving him was one of confidence and bravery rather than one of guilt and fear.

"When are you going to let him be happy?" she questioned.

"You think he's happy with you?" Steve questioned quietly, caring little that he was talking non-sense now. There was no other way for him to deal with the pain of losing his best friend. She was the one that had caused it and she was the one that would take the heat from it.

Cindy bit her lower lip, choking back any response that came to her mouth. She didn't want to say something rash and have Sodapop pay for it later. No, she had to keep her calm. That was the only way to deal with Steve.

"Well? Ain't got any answer for me?"

Still, Cindy remained silent, unable to tear her gaze away from the hatred radiating from the Greaser. He really did loath her and she felt terrible about that. All she had wanted to do was make Sodapop happy and she had thought the others would understand. Apparently, she was mistaken.

A wave of anger rushed through Steve as he looked at her, waiting for some sort of answer. Opening his mouth to speak again, his words were caught in his throat as he turned away from her, looking down the road at a car that was rushing down the street towards them. Suddenly, the sound of gunshots firing into the night broke the air and as the car sped off, silence fell over the area.


	33. Chapter 33

The sound of sirens broke through the deep silence of the night as Steve looked around him, completely bewildered and, for once in his life, at a loss of what to do. There was nowhere to go and even if there was he wouldn't be able to move. Nothing within him would allow him to. He was frozen to the spot as the police officers surrounded him, some on feet and some in their cars. His dark eyes flashed among them, surveying them with the cold, indifferent look that he reserved for all those he hated.

As his eyes darted among them, a gruff voice could be heard over the sirens. It was magnified slightly and as Steve turned in that direction, he felt a pair of rough hands on his wrists. Before he could even struggle, he felt the handcuffs locking around his wrists and almost immediately he was being dragged toward one of the waiting cars.

"You have the right to remain silent…"

The following hours were nothing that Steve wanted to remember as he was brought roughly into the police station and treated much like Dallas Winston probably was while he was there. After all, he was a Greaser and Greasers never did anything within the limits of the law. They were hoodlums, or at least as bad as hoodlums, as far as the police were concerned. The questioning, it seemed, took forever and finally, at the break of dawn, Steve was allowed to leave in the custody of his father.

The sound of his father's voice was blocked completely. Steve was perfectly aware that the old man didn't give a damn about what had happened. In fact, the man probably wouldn't have come down if the police hadn't pretty much escorted him all the way to the cell. That was just the way things were. Steve hated his dad and his dad hated him.

Rolling his eyes towards the sky, that was slowly becoming lighter, Steve was hardly aware of the fact that he and his father weren't the only people on this particular sidewalk. Coming towards them was Sodapop Curtis, who appeared to be lost within his own thoughts and daydreams. Biting his tongue, rather painfully at that, Steve remained silent as he watched his friend continue along the street and enter into a store a few doors away from the police station. Soda hadn't even noticed him, or if he did he didn't show any sign of that. For once, Steve somewhat loathed himself for placing the wall between himself and his best friend. If he hadn't, he'd have been able to…

Forcing the thoughts from his mind, the teenager was able to give his father the slip and headed, instead, toward the Curtis household. It was the start of a wonderful, or supposed to be wonderful, break and Steve wasn't going to spend it getting lectured by his father. Pulling aside the screen door, he entered into the living room and fell back onto the couch, completely unaware of the fact that neither of the other two brothers seemed to be awake. As he listened to the silence around him, Steve leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes, attempting to get in a few hours of sleep before his day officially began again.

* * *

It didn't feel like long before Steve heard the sound of the other Greasers echoing through the small house. It was almost a nightmare as he woke up, his head pounding as he looked around at all of them. They were all in such good spirits and not one of them seemed to have a care in the world. Perhaps that's how it was for him most of the time, but for the time being he had one care…one painfully large care that he had to tend to as soon as possible.

As if in response to his thoughts, he heard the screen door open and watched as Dallas entered, closely followed by Sodapop. Neither of them so much as glanced at him as Dally headed toward the kitchen and Soda fell back lightly onto the armchair that his older brother usually occupied. Closing his eyes, it was obvious he hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, either, except Steve had a feeling his was for a completely different reason.

Even though he and Soda hadn't talked much recently, it was apparent that the middle Curtis brother was getting restless. Something was constantly going through his mind and he was slowly becoming more reserved than ever before. Never before had Steve seen his friend this pensive…except for once. The memory of the last time flashed through his mind before he banished it from his memory. No, Sodapop certainly couldn't even be considering anything like that. It was too rash. Too unexpected. Too Sodapop-like.

The sound of Dally's voice brought him back to reality as it rang through the small living room. "Heard someone got arrested last night…" he called, his eyes dancing with amusement as he glanced toward Steve.

The room seemed to go quiet as the others looked toward Steve, a surprised and yet amused expression on all their faces. Sure, most of them had been arrested before, but they had also told the others about it after it had happened. Why, then, had Steve remained silent about it since he had gotten back?

Allowing an expressionless look to appear on his face and in his eyes, Steve shrugged slightly. "Yeah, I got arrested last night. What's ya point?"

"Wonderin' what ya did."

"Nothin'."

"Ya don't get arrested for nothin'," Dallas replied, a slightly cold laugh passing from his lips. He, for one, knew what it took to get arrested and he never ceased to brag about his record. Therefore, he expected others to do so as well.

Steve shrugged slightly in response, turning his attention toward the television screen pretty much dismissing the conversation. It was evident he didn't want to talk about it yet, so why push the subject? Dallas, however, wasn't all that interested in taking such hints.

"What ya do? I heard ya was caught on the streets doin' something…"

"Where ya hearin' that from?"

"People."

"Hoods aint the best spies, Dally."

A dangerous glare flashed through Dallas' eyes before he subsided, he wasn't about to get into something this early in the morning. After all, he had just woken up.

Although Dallas had dropped his rather annoying style of questioning, the others continued to cast glances of curiosity towards him. Slowly growing more annoyed, Steve rose from his spot and headed toward the door before entering out into the chilly winter morning. He wasn't able to think about it, not at this current time. It had all been too recent. It was all still too fresh in his mind.

Sighing slightly, he leaned back against the wall of the house, closing his eyes as he listened to the soothing silence around him. Even in this neighborhood, the relaxing silence existed in the mornings which most people didn't think possible. As he let his mind get away with him, he was aware of the screen door beside him opening and a set of footsteps coming in his direction. Feeling the wall move slightly beside him, Steve was consciously aware that someone was leaning against the building beside him and from the breathing he could tell it was Soda.

He had known Sodapop for years and it didn't take him long to realize when Soda was around. His friend had a strange way of soothing people, even without speaking, and as the silence between them lengthened, Steve found himself slowly relaxing. It had been a few weeks since he had even been able to talk to his friend, but he had to end that feud. He had to for…

"You aight?"

Steve nodded slightly, his eyes flashing open and turning towards his friend. He noticed the concern and the worry and even after how cold they had been towards each other, it was a welcomed thing. They told each other everything and just this once Steve wished he didn't have to say what he had to say.

"I'm aight."

"You don't look it."

"Don't feel it either," he replied, laughing slightly as he turned away from his friend.

Soda looked toward him, a bit worried, and yet unable to put his finger on what worried him. This wasn't the same attitude his friend had had last time he was arrested. Last time, Steve wouldn't shut up about it and now…now he was basically avoiding the topic completely. What had happened…?

Sighing slightly, Soda had a feeling the confidence they had once shared had been shattered by his own doings with Cindy. Something had caused them to move apart and now Steve couldn't even confide in him anymore. Racking his brain, he attempted to think up something that would fix the problem. There had to be something to mend the broken trust after all.

Coming to a conclusion, Soda fidgeted slightly against the wall, causing Steve's eyes to turn towards him once more. The confusion in the eyes was evident and as Soda reached into his jacket pocket, he continued to urge himself onward. This was the only way to fix the problems between them.

"Got something to tell ya…but ya gotta swear not to tell the others…" he muttered.

Steve simply nodded, not exactly certain what his friend was going on about. What was he trying to prove?

Soda, it seemed, was still debating with himself as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. Fiddling with it, he held it in his hand before opening it and displaying the contents to his friend. The jewel on the ring caught the morning sun as Steve stared down at it, a bit confused and bewildered.

"What's it for?" he asked, somewhat stupidly, he realized.

Soda looked down at it, smiling to himself as he closed it up and stuck it back in his pocket before any of the others happened to glimpse it through the door. "For Cindy…" he replied, looking toward his friend who continued to wear the puzzled look on his face. "I…I'm gonna ask her to marry me…"

The emotions that whirled through Steve at that simple statement were earth-shattering as he nodded slightly, his gaze turned away from Sodapop. There was an odd edge to his voice as he looked toward the ground. "You love her that much…?"

"She makes me…eh, I can't even explain it."

Once again, Steve nodded slightly, his voice catching in his throat as he noticed his friend turning towards him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm..eh..happy for ya.."

"Ya don't seem too happy," Soda replied, laughing slightly. "Been workin' over for awhile now just to get it for her. I know it aint much but hopefully it'll be enough."

Steve merely grunted before pushing himself off the wall and turning to look toward his friend. He knew he had to tell him and quickly otherwise, well, it'd be worse. "Soda, we've been friends a long time, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"We can always tell each other everything?"

"Yeah…that's the plan."

Steve took a deep breath, "And ya aint ever gonna get ravin' mad at me for nothin'?"

Soda shook his head slightly, his eyebrows rising a bit as he watched his friend shift nervously in his spot. Something had happened and it was tearing Steve apart. "What's got ya bothered?"

"I…" he began, but stopped, attempting to figure out how to word it correctly. "Last night, when I got arrested…I aint tell ya what it was for because I knew…I knew you'd get worked up."

"What happened?"

The patience in his friend's voice was astonishing as Steve shifted once more out of agitation and uncertainty. "I was walkin' long the street last night, ya know? Thinkin' bout everythin' that's been happenin'. How you and me aint been on such good terms and why that was. Well, I caught sight of Cindy and started havin' a bit of an argument with her…"

He paused at that moment, glancing toward Sodapop who was merely looking at him with one of those expectant and patient looks that he had. Apparently it wasn't news to him that Steve was giving his girlfriend a hard time, in fact, it looked almost as if he expected it. Hoping that his friend could keep that expression for a bit longer, Steve drove right back into his tale.

"And then some car came drivin' down the road like hell and…" he couldn't do it. He couldn't say anymore, but he had to. He owed it to Sodapop.

"And?"

"…"

A look of slight confusion passed over Soda's face and Steve wished, for anything, that that was the last change of expression he'd have to see from this conversation. But he knew it wouldn't be. He knew that for a fact.

"I got arrested cause the fuzz down town thought I…they…they thought I shot Cindy…"

Steve turned toward Sodapop, his last statement resting in thin air it seemed. The expression he saw was one he hadn't expected, it was, in fact, worse than he had seen in awhile. Soda looked as though his entire world had just crashed around him. As if he had no friends, no family, and no love left for the life he was leading. Slowly, Sodapop shook his head slightly, trying to push away the thoughts that were passing through his mind.

"You…she…"

"I aint do it…I swear, Soda, I aint touch her."

"She's…"

Steve sighed, he knew what the question was that was coming and unfortunately it wasn't one he could answer. "I dunno…" he replied, watching as his friend attempted to control his emotions. In their neighborhood, showing emotions wasn't accepted; everything had to be blocked out and for once Sodapop couldn't do it. The happy-go-lucky attitude he always possessed had vanished completely and only depression and fear could be seen.

Soda staggered back some, the reality hitting him harder than anything had hit him before. He had lost his mother and father before and now this…Shaking his head slightly, Soda turned from his friend and entered the house. There wasn't any part of him that was aware of what the others were doing as he headed toward his room and shut the door behind him. There was nothing for him to use to escape from these horrific and depressing thoughts as he laid back on his bed, his mind whirling as he closed his eyes.

All he could see was her. All he could think about was her. And as he rolled over on his side, his hands moving over his face, all he could think about was her being ripped out of his life before he had time to even tell her how he felt.

* * *

(A/N: I know, my updates don't come often and I'm sorry about that. I'm trying to get them up quicker. But I'm not sure if I should continue or not, I honestly don't know how many people read these. Leave me a review and let me know if you want me to finish or not. Hope you're enjoying the story =] )


	34. Chapter 34

_The world had stopped and the air around him had disappeared. He could feel the ground beneath his feet crumbling and falling away, sending him into a black abyss that he would never be able to escape from. The strange thing was, though, that he didn't want to escape. He wanted to enter deeper into the darkness; there was no will left to escape and continue on because, at that moment, there was nothing to continue on for. _

_Slowly and steadily, Sodapop sank deeper into the darkness, the light above him disappearing completely. _

With a jolt, Soda sat up in his bed, the sounds of the other gang members drifting in from the other room. It was as if nothing had happened. Nothing had changed for them and their loud joking and teasing of each other proved that. So why was everything suddenly so different for him? Why was life suddenly so black and white? Was it because…

Stopping himself before he could even finish that train of thought, Sodapop got up and headed toward the doorway to his bedroom; looking out into the living room, he watched the others laughing in amusement at something that was playing out on the television screen. As he watched them, he felt himself attempting to push away the thoughts that had been haunting him for the past few hours; he couldn't dwell on it anymore. Cindy was…she was….

Once again, the thoughts stopped. He couldn't force himself back towards them anymore. It was best if, for now, he forgot all about them. Deciding that that was what he was going to do, Sodapop entered into the living room, hoping against hope that he could pull off his normal attitude and no one would know the difference.

As he fell back onto the couch beside Steve and turned his attention towards the t.v., he noticed the others having gone suddenly quiet. Figuring it was best if he didn't press this subject, though, Soda pretended to be engrossed into the television set, hoping that that would fend off any strange questions or looks that he would most likely be receiving. After all, Steve had to have told the rest of them what was going on.

"Soda…"

"Yeah?"

"You aight?"

Raising his eyebrow slightly, Soda forced himself to look away from the television and towards his younger brother. Nodding slightly, he allowed a good-natured smile to appear on his face before turning back towards the t.v., catching Steve's uncertain glance towards him.

"What'd you tell them?" he whispered quietly once Ponyboy returned his attention to the television, apparently having given up on trying to coax a straight answer out of him for now.

Steve smirked slightly, glancing towards the others before he turned toward his best friend. "Nothin'. Said you was sick."

"Sick?"

Steve nodded slightly, having thought his idea was rather clever at the time.

"Why sick?"

"Wasn't gonna tell them ya lost the girl ya wanna marry…"

As the sentence came through to Sodapop, he suddenly found himself entering into the abyss again. Sighing slightly, he nodded in response to his friend's statement before pushing himself off the couch, unable to handle the suspicious glances he felt he was receiving.

Pushing open the front door, he entered into the cold evening; as the cold air hit against his skin, he regretted almost instantly that he didn't have a jacket with him. Refusing, though, to reenter the house, he entered into the darkness of the night, his feet having a mind of their own; uncertain as to where he was going, Sodapop merely sank deeper into his thoughts.

They pushed through his mind; his fears, worries, uncertainties, and pain combined themselves, forcing him to live farther away from the reality he generally knew. Sighing in frustration, he finally came to a stop, his eyes flashing up towards the sign that was above him.

A wave of fear passed over his body quickly. He hadn't even entered the place since his parents had died and now….Why had he come here? What was the point? Allowing these questions and a few others to cascade through his mind, Soda entered into the hospital and headed toward one of the desks. Watching as one of the nurses looked up towards him questioningly, Soda forced a smile onto his face, requesting the room number.

After a few skeptical responses from the nurse and a bit of harmless flirting on his part, Soda found himself walking along the hallway of the hospital before stopping in his tracks. At the end of the hall he could see the familiar red hair that only Cherry Valance could possess. Knowing, though, that it was too late to turn back at this point, Soda continued the few more yards it was before he stood outside the door, his eyes looking towards it and then towards Cherry.

As his gaze lingered on the Soc, there was something different in her attitude towards him. The friendly and inviting nature she had displayed towards the lot of them the past few months had disappeared and a look of anger and distrust had come in its place. The change was enough to make him second guess himself once more before he encouraged himself to continue on with what he was planning on doing.

"You aight, Cherry?" he questioned, somewhat stupidly, he realized.

The cold look in her eyes was enough answer for him and was most likely the only answer he was going to get from her. It was evident that the pain and the shock were still fresh on her and as he nodded slightly, he glanced over his shoulder towards the door, wondering quietly about Cindy's condition.

"You can't go in."

The sudden sound of her voice caused him to turn around, looking at her in surprise. "What?"

"You aren't going to go in there and see her. Not after what that Greaser did to her!"

"I…"

"Don't try your little lines on me either. You aren't ever going to go and see her again. She's dying because of you Greasers…"

Unable to find his voice, Sodapop merely looked at her, a bit taken aback by her sudden outburst. So that was how it was going to be? The Socs were going to blame them for it, just because Steve was around when it happened? Growing a bit annoyed with the very idea, Soda had to bite his tongue before he said a few things he knew he'd regret later.

Turning his back on her, he headed down the hallway once more, mentally storing away the room number for a day when Cherry wouldn't be around.

As he entered into the night once more, he allowed his thoughts to get away with him. This time, though, there was no worry behind them, only fury. If the Socs wanted to push the blame onto them, that was fine. But no one was going to take away his ability to see Cindy, not after everything he had gone through to win her over in the first place.


	35. Chapter 35

_"You aren't ever going to go and see her again. She's dying because of you Greasers…"_

Dying…Dying because of me…

This was the only sentence that passed through Sodapop's mind as he sat numbly outside on the front porch, unable to bring himself into the warmth that the house provided. He didn't deserve to be inside and to be comfortable. He didn't deserve to even have a building to call his house. He had killed her…he had brought about the death of the one person he loved most next to his brothers and the other gang members.

I killed her…I killed Cindy…

The sentence replayed itself, just as the other one had. The words tumbled through his mind as if they were part of some sick broken record that would never stop...

Sighing, Soda rested back against the railing on the steps, his face buried in his hands as the words continued to wash over him. He was unaware of the whistling wind as it drifted through the few remaining leaves on the trees. He was unaware of the creaking footsteps that drifted through the screen door from the inside of the house. Nothing was able to penetrate his misery…nothing could take his mind away from the mistake he had made.

* * *

Steve sat silently against the wall of the house, his eyes fixated on his best friend outside in the cold. Throughout the last week, Steve had kept his word to Sodapop and remained silent on the situation at hand. He hadn't told Darry or Pony, because that was Sodapop's place. He couldn't tell anyone. Yet, as he watched his friend continuing to beat himself up internally, Steve shifted uncomfortably in his spot, knowing that the other two Curtis brothers had to be getting worried. He knew he would if he was in their position.

Glancing towards Darry, it was impossible to tell if he had picked up on Soda's strange behaviors, after all he hadn't said much either. He seemed to be more interested in his two jobs than he was in regards to his brother. Unless…

No, Steve wouldn't waste his time analyzing Darrel's habits or his lack of interest in his younger brother's problems. Dismissing the idea almost instantly, Steve allowed his gaze to flicker briefly towards Ponyboy who sat playing a game of cards with Johnny.

Ponyboy certainly would have noticed, Steve thought, as he watched Pony pass over his last pack of cigarettes to Johnny. Ponyboy notices everything that has to do with Sodapop…

Once again Steve found himself drifting in the direction of informing one of the Curtis brothers what was up. It was his job, after all, wasn't it? It was his job to help his friend overcome this obstacle that was taking away every known characteristic.

Suddenly, a small smirk passed over his lips as he casted one more final glance around the room. Noticing that the others were still preoccupied with their various activities, Steve pushed himself off the ground and headed toward the door, grabbing a jacket for himself and Sodapop.

Entering into the cold night, Steve slipped into his jacket before throwing Sodapop a jacket. He wasn't going to have to endure this unknown Sodapop any longer, not if he could help it.

Ignoring the questioning glance that Sodapop shot in his direction, Steve merely headed along the street, his eyes fixated on the darkness ahead of him. There wasn't any part of him that wanted to admit to Sodapop that he was extremely worried about his condition nor was there any part of him that wanted to acknowledge what he was about to do. He knew the consequences, but his friends, mostly his best friend, came before anything else…including a few months in jail.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Steve finally stopped…at the front door of the hospital. Looking through the window, into the darkness, he sighed slightly before glancing at Sodapop.

Do it for him…do it for your best friend…

Urging himself forward, Steve pulled slightly at his friend's elbow before heading around the side of the building to one of the back entrances. Looking about once more to make certain the area was clear, Steve pulled out a few items from his pocket before picking away at the lock.

A few moments later, he pulled open the door, turning his gaze to his friend as he waited patiently for Sodapop to enter.

"What the hell are you thinkin'?"

"I'm thinkin' you better get yourself inside…"

"I aint breakin' into a dark hospital."

A cold look appeared in Steve's eyes, one that even Sodapop couldn't fight against. "Get into the damn buildin'"

Muttering curses beneath his breath, Sodapop sent a deadly glare in the direction of his friend before entering into the darkened building. The sound of his own footsteps gave him the creeps as he followed behind Steve, walking as silently as they could towards the staircase that led to the upper floors.

Climbing up a few flights, Sodapop finally froze, a look of recognition appearing in his eyes as he glanced along the hospital hallway before hurrying to catch up with Steve, who had stopped at the empty nurses' counter. Looking over his friend's shoulder, Sodapop smiled slightly as he caught sight of the name he wanted before abandoning his friend at the station and heading along the hallway.

As he came to a stop in front of the door he was banned from a week earlier by Cherry, he felt his breath catch in his throat. What would he do now…? How could he face her after everything that he had let happen?

_"She's dying because of you Greasers…"_

The sentence cascaded through his mind as Soda's hand fell onto the door handle. How could he go in there knowing it was his fault? How could he look at her knowing that he could have prevented it all?

Taking a deep breath, Sodapop pushed open the door, listening to it creak on the hinges.

The faint light from the streetlamps shown in through the window as Sodapop entered into the room. As his eyes glanced down at the motionless body in the bed, he felt his heart skip a few beats.

"_Dying because of you…"_

With his hand shaking, Sodapop reached out toward Cindy, brushing away a strand of her hair before sitting beside her. Feeling the bed sink beneath his weight, Soda's hand moved slowly toward hers, uncertain at first as he took her hand into his. She wasn't cold…that was a good sign wasn't it?

Sighing in relief at the feeling of her hand within his, Sodapop rested back against the bed, his head turning to face hers as he took in her features. She hadn't changed much. At least not as much as he thought she would have. Then again, the bullet hadn't passed through her head.

"_Because of you…."_

Shaking the thought from his mind, Soda leaned over lightly, kissing her forehead before looking down at her hand that rested in his. "I love you, Cindy…" he muttered, bringing her hand to his lips before kissing it gently.

Sighing slightly, he rested back against the bed, closing his eyes as he allowed the peaceful atmosphere to pass over him. It'd been so long since he'd ever felt peaceful and free from all the worry. So long since he'd felt like he had actually done something right.

The feeling lasted only too briefly, though, as he heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the hallway. Sitting up, he watched as Steve stopped in the doorway, panting heavily.

"We gotta get outta here. People are comin'…" he managed to breathe out, his eyes flashing back down the hallway to make certain they were still alone on the floor.

Nodding slightly in disappointment and annoyance, Sodapop pushed himself out of the bed, his hand continuing to hold lightly to Cindy's. Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss against her forehead before backing away, his eyes never leaving her face. Before he could leave the room, though, his eyes flashed down toward her hand, which he had let fall lightly on the bed beside her.

Glancing toward Steve, who was growing more impatient with every passing second, Soda allowed a small smirk to pass over his lips before heading back to the body.

"Go on..I'll catch up…"

* * *

The cold air hit against Steve's face as he stood impatiently a few streets away from the hospital. Glancing up and down the street for the fifth time, he cursed Sodapop beneath his breath.

Why had he let his friend stay behind? What would he tell Darry if Sodapop got catch breaking into the hospital?

Leaning his head back against the lamp post, Steve sighed, trying to clear his mind. Finding this impossible, though, he was thankful for the sound of approaching footsteps and the sound of Sodapop's voice.

"Where the hell you been? You tryin' to get us thrown in jail?"

Laughing in amusement, Sodapop shook his head, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets to keep himself somewhat warm. "Eh, don't start actin' like Darry, Steve. It was a good reason."

"What kinda reason you possibly got for that?"

A small shrug was the only reply Soda was willing to give as he walked toward his house, listening to his friend's pestering questions.

* * *

Hearing the sound of running footsteps, the two night nurses hurried toward the noise. Neither of them knew exactly what to expect as they rounded the corner, only to find the hallway deserted and the door to one of the rooms left ajar.

Worried at what they would find, the two nurses headed toward the room before peering into it. As the light fell across Cindy's sleeping form, a small sigh of relief left both of the women. Nothing had happened. Whoever it was must have left without taking anything.

Breathing another sigh of relief, the two nurses closed the door quietly, neither of them noticing the engagement ring on the young teenager's finger that glittered in the dying light.


	36. Chapter 36

It had been a month now since Sodapop had broken into the hospital with Steve. It had been a month now since he had even laid eyes on Cindy. Her name was never mentioned and there was never any news from Cherry about her. It seemed, mostly to Soda, that she had disappeared off the face of the planet and that frightened him.

He needed her.

He wanted her.

She was his.

As the crisp December air, hit against his face, Sodapop couldn't help but allow his thoughts to travel back to a month or so earlier, when he had seen Cindy and Cherry heading towards the DX station to talk to him and Steve. It had seemed like, even then, that nothing could ever go wrong. Life, at that moment in time, was perfection and he hadn't wanted it to change.

It had.

Sighing despite of himself, he ignored the questioning look from Steve as he pushed open the door to the garage and began to pull off his jacket. There had been a silent agreement between them that neither would tell the others about the ring Sodapop had purchased, and if Cindy never woke up then there'd never be a need to talk about it again.

Finding that this train of thought was more depressing then the other, Sodapop headed toward the car he had begun to fix the day before. Sliding beneath it, he began to fiddle with the greasy items, not bothering to acknowledge what he was doing. It was just something to take his mind off the pain.

Listening to Steve begin his work on the car next to him, Sodapop hesitated a moment in his work, debating on talking to his friend. Finding it was best to go ahead and do so, Sodapop returned to his work, clearing his throat slightly.

"You seen Cherry?" he asked, casually.

Steve merely grunted, giving an obvious response of "no".

"Pony ain't either," Sodapop continued, feeling as if he was conversing with himself. It was better than nothing, though. "You goin' with me to the drag race this weekend? Gotta earn some money for Christmas presents, ya know?"

"Ain't gonna miss it. It's always somethin' to watch them Socs get their asses kicked," Steve replied, grunting some as he pulled off a rather heavy object from the car.

Soda laughed good-naturedly, picturing the responses they would get if they beat the Socs just before the holidays. It was always refreshing to know they were better than the over-dressed monkeys.

"What you gonna be drivin?"

Sodapop shrugged, although his friend couldn't see it. "No idea…" he began, before hearing the sound of the door open. Glancing towards Steve (or his feet rather), Soda allowed a look of confusion to appear on his face before he slid out from beneath his car. As he turned to face the customer that had entered the store, a look of surprise passed over his face.

Cherry's best friend, Marcia, stood looking between the two of them, a small, shy smile appearing on her lips as she shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. "Hi…" she said quietly, trying to gather up the rest of her courage that had somehow disappeared outside the DX door.

"What can we do for you?" Steve questioned, the cold and indifferent exterior appearing automatically at the sight of the Soc.

"I came to give you this," she replied, her anger to the response she received covering up whatever uncertainty she had previously had. Noticing the note that was resting in her hand, Sodapop reached for it, not bothering to acknowledge the surprise that appeared on the Soc's face in response to his quick reaction.

Turning away from the other two, Sodapop read over the note, his heart racing as he continued to read. He was hardly aware of his surroundings, not even when Steve nearly through the Soc out of the garage, explaining they weren't open for new customers at the moment.

As the sound of Marcia's car driving away slowly disappeared, Steve appeared by his best friend, reading over his shoulder. A look of curiosity appeared in his eyes as he glanced toward Sodapop, almost in a questioning manner.

"You going to?" he questioned after a few minutes.

Sodapop shrugged, having thought over the proposition for a few moments. "I don't know…" he replied, stuffing the note into his pocket, not wanting to lose track of it. "I guess we'll have to see what happens," he replied with a grin as he turned back to the car.

Nodding slightly in response, Steve too returned to work, however this time his mind wasn't there. He was wondering just how detrimental it would be to Sodapop if he followed the instructions on that note.


	37. Chapter 37

Sodapop held the note in his hand, looking down at the messy writing. Reading over it again, for the fiftieth time since he had received it, Soda couldn't help but smile to himself before folding the letter back up and slipping it into his pocket. Glancing towards the screen door, he watched as the sky outside became slowly darker with the oncoming evening. The instructions on the note said that tomorrow would finally be the day…the day he got to see just what this note and the author of it were all about.

Finding that this thought was rather soothing, Sodapop turned his gaze from the outside and focused it on the television set. He could feel the uncertain looks that Steve kept sending in his direction, but he couldn't afford to return a look, mostly a reassuring one. He had yet to tell Steve he was going and that probably was a mistake, but he had made his decision. He would go alone.

* * *

The following morning, Sodapop sat up in his bed slowly, making certain not to make any movements that would wake up Ponyboy, who was still fast asleep. Slipping out of bed, he headed toward the bathroom, taking a quick shower before getting into his clothes and heading out the door.

The sun had yet to rise into the morning sky as Sodapop made his way across town, hoping that he wouldn't run into anyone he knew; luckily, he thought, Greasers usually slept in pretty late on Saturday mornings because of the partying that occurred on Friday nights. Becoming reassured because of this thought, Sodapop turned down a street that was rather uncommon to him, and made his way into the other side of the town.

Following the directions on the note, he finally stopped outside of a well-kept park. Looking around, he found himself suddenly uncertain of what he was going to do. Should he go in? Should he risk everything he has just for this one encounter? Would it really be worth it?

Finding these thoughts cascading through his mind, Sodapop took a deep breath, realizing just how important this meeting was to him.

Entering into the park, he followed the winding path before spotting just who he was looking for—Cherry Valance.

He knew there was no turning back now as he stopped before her, noticing the same cold and uninterested look that had taken over her features the last time they had met in the hospital. It was still obvious she held him accountable for what happened to Cindy.

As he took in the expression, Soda felt his heart sink. He had come to the park in hopes of finding Cindy there or at least finding out that she would be alright and out of the hospital again soon. Instead, though, he found himself facing the same anger and the same blame he had been trying to escape from.

"Hello, Sodapop…" Cherry's voice came, causing him to look up from the ground, at which he had been staring at in despair.

"Hey.."

"I'm glad you came."

A look of confusion appeared over his face as he took in her comment. Why would she be glad? Didn't she despise him still? For a moment, Soda felt the hope coming back to him. Maybe everything was alright again.

"You are?"

"Yes. I have something for you."

The joy within him continued to grow. She had something for him…from Cindy hopefully. Could it be possible? Was she finally awake?

Hoping that he was masking his hopefulness well, Sodapop merely nodded before holding out his hand to her as he watched her fiddle around for something in her purse. Feeling an object being placed into his hand, Sodapop's eyes opened in surprise as he looked down at the ring Cherry had placed into his hand.

Looking back up at her, Soda found himself speechless. How had she gotten it? Why would she have taken it?

Cherry, however, didn't seem interested in giving any explanations as she turned her back, heading back towards her car. Turning back to look at him as she started the engine, she merely shook her head before sighing. "Just give it up, Sodapop. There's nothing left to hold onto anymore," she said quietly before driving off towards the exit.

As the sound of her engine disappeared into the distance, Sodapop felt his heart sinking lower and lower. How could everything have gone from being perfectly okay to this? How could everything have fallen apart so quickly?

* * *

It took him quite a few hours to talk himself into going home after the incident in the park. After walking around town, though, he decided it would be best. Ponyboy and Darry would have noticed that he was gone by now.

As he neared the end of his street, he heard a set of footsteps heading in his direction hurriedly. Glancing up, he caught sight of Steve; turning away, Sodapop continued on, not wanting to admit to his best friend what had happened, unfortunately, there was no preventing that any longer.

"You went?"

Sodapop merely nodded, not wanting to say anything in case he let out all the emotions he was trying to keep hidden.

"What happened?" Steve pressed, sitting down by his friend on top of the steps outside the Curtis house.

Soda glanced at him before holding out his hand, revealing the ring that remained in his palm.

Steve didn't even need to question his friend any longer to realize what had happened. Sighing slightly, he watched as Sodapop stuffed the ring into his pocket, unable to even look at it anymore.

"You alright?" he asked after a few minutes.

Sodapop, however, remained silent. There were no words, no thoughts; nothing could penetrate the depression he had sunk into.

Deciding he wouldn't press the subject anymore, Steve got up to head inside, stopping though as he spotted Ponyboy standing at the screen door, watching Sodapop with a sudden understanding.

"Move out the way, Pony."

"What's wrong with Soda?"

"Get out the way," Steve repeated, growling slightly.

Ponyboy shook his head, entering onto the porch with Johnny right behind him. "What's Soda got in his pocket?"

"Nothing, Pony," Soda replied before Steve could even get his mouth open. Standing up, Soda moved to head inside but stopped as Pony reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring.

Studying it closely, Ponyboy looked from his brother to the ring before glancing at Johnny. "What you doin with this?"

"Nothin', Pony," Soda repeated.

Shaking his head, Ponyboy looked over the object once more before heading inside. "Hey, Darry! Soda's depressed!"

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming from Darry's room, Soda felt his heart racing. How could this day continue to get worse and worse?

"What's wrong, little buddy?" Darry asked, looking at Sodapop before glancing toward Ponyboy, who was still observing the ring. Taking it from his youngest brother, Darry looked at it before glancing at Sodapop. "You aint thinkin'…"

Sodapop shrugged.

"Sodapop whats wrong with you, kid? You aint gonna give this to her."

Looking towards his brother, Sodapop felt his world crumbling down. First the accident, then the ring, now this; he couldn't handle it. It was all becoming too much.

"I already did, Darry, and you know what? Cherry gave it back to me because Cindy isn't coming back. She aint ever comin' back, just like mom and dad and it's all my fault!" he cried out, running towards his room before slamming the door shut behind him.

He had said it. All his thoughts, all his worries…he had said them…which only made him realize how truthful they were. Cindy wasn't coming back and it was his fault.


	38. Chapter 38

He lay in his bed, unable to make himself move, unable to make himself eat, even unable to make himself look up as random members of the gang stuck their heads in and out just to see if he was doing any better. There was nothing that he felt like he wanted to do anymore; the entire world had turned dark around him because, Soda thought as he turned over, life without Cindy was miserable and he didn't want to think about it anymore. Sighing unhappily, Sodapop grabbed his pillow, holding it over his head as he attempted to block out the pain of the world.

* * *

_The sound of birds twittering in the distance filled the air as a cool breeze blew through her hair. Cindy looked up, observing the beautiful sky, watching as the birds flew into the bright sunlight. A smile danced across her lips; she loved the dazzling and wonderful sight before her, yet something felt like it was missing. What was it?_

_Uncertainly, Cindy followed the sound of the birds unconsciously as she attempted to figure out what was missing. Farther and farther she went, travelling into the distance until she stopped, standing on the edge of a large meadow. She refused to walk onward, though. She simply couldn't. Suddenly, a large gust of wind came out from behind her, sending her face forward into the meadow. With a scream, she fell into the darkness…_

Cindy's eyes flashed open, her gaze darting back and forth quickly; slowly, though, the memory of the nightmare slipped from her mind and she relaxed. As she calmed down, she allowed herself to look around the room and her gaze finally fell on her sleeping cousin. Smiling softly to herself, Cindy sat up slowly, wincing in slight pain before she reached over and pulled some ice from a nearby cup. Throwing the ice at her cousin, who woke up with a start, Cindy couldn't help but laugh in amusement at the dazed and confused expression on Cherry's face.

Slowly, a look of recognition appeared on Cherry's face before a large smile lit up her features. Jumping up from the chair she had been resting in for what felt like years, Cherry pulled her cousin into a tight hug, almost forgetting about all the wires Cindy was still attached to. Refusing to let her go, Cherry merely muttered a few, incoherent words into Cindy's hair, causing the young girl to laugh some.

"I'm fine, Sherri. Let go, you're suffocating me," Cindy joked, relaxing against the pillows as her cousin finally released her from the bear-hug.

Sitting back on the bed, Cherry wiped away a few tears that had formed in her eyes; she didn't understand, why was she crying? Cindy was awake. She was okay. What was wrong with her?

Deciding it was simply because she was happy, Cherry took a few minutes to compose herself before taking her cousin's hand, squeezing it gently. The sensation sent a spark through Cindy's mind, almost as if someone else had done the same thing while she was asleep; yet, unable to put much interest in the thought right now, she smiled in response to Cherry's concerned gaze.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Cherry asked after a few minutes as her mind fought against itself. She wasn't sure what to do at this moment; was she supposed to leave Cindy alone and go and call her parents or was she to stay by her cousin's side? Surely her parents would be there eventually to check up on things.

Choosing to stay where she was, Cherry was relieved to see Cindy nod her head slowly. She noticed the expression of pain that flickered on Cindy's face, yet deciding not to say anything, Cherry merely smiled again.

"Great, I was so worried!"

"Sorry I worried you," Cindy replied, laughing, trying to keep the mood light. She still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing around her. Something that was very important. "How's everything been? Tell me everything!" she exclaimed, wanting to avert her mind from her own thoughts.

Cindy watched as Cherry sat back some on the bed, her eyes glazing over briefly as she thought about what to talk about. There were so many topics to discuss: school, boys, shopping, movies and then one that Cherry simply wanted to avoid, the Greasers. Hoping she could avoid this topic for quite awhile, Cherry began ranting on every other topic she could think of, while all the while praying that Cindy wouldn't bring up Sodapop or any of the others.

* * *

Author's Note: I know it's short. I know it's been awhile. I'm working hard at completing this fanfiction. Please be patient with me :)


	39. Chapter 39

Christmas…it was only a seven days away. The air was icy and the wind harsh as Ponyboy walked through the streets, heading towards the DX station. He brought his jacket closer to his body, wishing he had grabbed something a bit heavier; the small jean jacket he had borrowed from Johnny simply wasn't doing the job today.

Kicking a rock along in front of him, Ponyboy attempted to forget the cold and to forget all the drama that had been occurring lately in his life. He tried to forget about the Socs ganging up on Twobit and Johnny the other night. He tried to forget about Darry having to work more hours to pay for the upcoming holiday season. Most of all, however, he tried to forget about Sodapop and all the misery that he was currently in; he simply couldn't think about his brother right now, the thoughts were too painful and unbearable.

Sighing at his inability to forget, he listened to the rock hitting against the brick wall of the DX station. Looking up at the letters on the sign, he hesitated slightly before heading into the station and the warmth it provided. Scanning the counter and noticing no one was there, he headed to the back, ignoring the fact that he wasn't exactly an employee.

"Hey, Soda, you here?" he called out, looking around at all the cards that were parked in the station just waiting to be fixed.

"Over here, Pony!"

Following the sound of his brother's voice, Ponyboy crouched down beside a blue car. "Busy still?" he asked, recalling how much Soda had been working over the past few days as he attempted to save up money, mostly after he had blown all his on the ring for Cindy. As his thoughts traveled towards Cindy and the ring, Ponyboy shook his head, trying to forget about the thoughts.

Soda laughed, a laugh that still wasn't his own. "Not at all," he replied, sliding out from under the car before getting up to take a break. "What's on your mind, Pony?"

"I been thinkin' about stuff and I was wonderin' if I could work here when I got older," he replied, not really having had anything to ask originally.

Hearing a laugh come out from beneath another car nearby, Ponyboy couldn't help but feel stupid for asking, mostly knowing how Steve felt about him.

"You been hit too hard by someone, Pony?" Steve called, sliding out from beneath his car as well. "Or you actually think we got room here for your kid business?"

"I'm bein' serious. I could work the front or somethin'."

Steve continued to laugh, ignoring the look that Sodapop had sent in his direction. Before he could say anything, though, the ringing sound of the bell sounded throughout the building, indicating a new customer.

"Alright, kid, go work your magic," Steve joked, pointing towards the front of the store.

Rolling his eyes, Ponyboy headed towards the front, thinking over what he was going to say to the customer. Before he could open his mouth, however, Pony froze in his steps, his eyes focusing on the girl standing there waiting for assistance.

"Marcia?" Pony whispered, watching as the girl's head shot up at the name.

The look on her face was almost identical to his as they looked at each other in shock for a few moments. "Oh, hi, Pony…" she muttered, almost uncertainly. "I came by to see if my father's car was done yet…"

Pony nodded slowly, unable to take his eyes off her as his mind was flooded with ideas. "I…I'll go check…" he replied after a few moments, backing away towards the back. As the door closed behind him, he whirled around, looking at his brother and Steve.

"What's the deal, Pony?" Steve questioned indifferently, noticing the strange behavior.

"You ain't gonna guess who's out there…"

"The President of the United States?"

Pony gave a forced "haha" before shaking his head. "Marcia's out there," he continued, watching as Sodapop froze.

An uncomfortable feeling fell over the room as the three gang members stared at each other before Soda made a break for the door, Steve unable to stop him in time.

"Sorry to keep ya waitin'," Soda began, pulling out the book that informed them on which car belonged to who and information such as that. "What's the name?" he questioned, his heart racing faster than it ever had before. This was his link to Cindy. This was the one person he could try to discover just what happened with the girl he was in love with.

Marcia seemed to hesitate, her eyes flashing between Sodapop and Ponyboy to Steve, who had just entered the room not long after his friend. To her, she didn't know what to do. "I…I was looking for my father's car…" she repeated, her voice flattering.

Sodapop nodded slowly, feeling Steve nudge past him on the way to the counter. "You're that Soc girl that hangs out with the red-head right?" he questioned, his elbows resting on the counter.

Marcia merely nodded slowly, uncertain of what to say as she saw a smile sneak across Steve's lips.

"Well, I don't know what my friends have been talkin' 'bout. You're a lot better lookin' than that other Soc," he complimented, watching as a blush appeared on the young girl's face. "You ever hang around with my type before?"

Simply shaking her head, Marcia turned her eyes towards the ground, attempting to clear her mind from the Greasers, Cindy and Cherry. Unfortunately, she was unable to.

"Hey, speakin' of that red-headed girl. What's happened to her? We used to give her tune-ups a lot on that car of hers and she ain't been by in awhile. You think she's gone and found another station?" he asked, drawing the Soc's attention back towards him.

"Oh, no, she's been busy."

"With what?"

"Oh, her cousin's not doing well," Marcia replied, her gaze turning back towards Steve as she smiled. "She's been spending time catching her cousin up on everything that's been happening."

Unaware of what he was doing, Soda let the book close with a snap, his attention having been focused completely on what Marcia was saying. Catching her up….that meant Cindy was…she was…she was awake!

Suddenly conscious of what she was saying, Marcia's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes opening wide. How many times had she promised Cherry she wouldn't say anything to anyone? How many times over the past week that Cindy had been awake had Cherry made her swear not to even talk to the Greasers? And now she'd gone and altered them.

Before either Pony or Steve could stop him, Soda had turned from the counter and headed into the back room again, his mind focused on one thing—Cindy. He was going to find a way to talk to her. He was going to find a way to meet with her.

Determined to reach his goal, Sodapop clocked out and headed toward his house, his mind completely made up. Someway he was going to get to Cindy and he was going to do it legally or illegally.


	40. Chapter 40

Steve sat quietly outside the DX station, the sound of the night life breaking the silence around him. His mind had been focused for hours on his friend and his problems. There had to be a way that he could do something to help. If it hadn't been for him, maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe Cindy would have been alright if he had been there to protect her…

Leaning back against the wall, he lit a cigarette, his eyes closing as his thoughts overwhelmed him. He knew better than anyone that Sodapop was going to get nowhere with Cherry. Cherry loathed the very sight of Sodapop now, mostly after everything that had happened.

A sigh escaped his lips. He couldn't handle seeing Sodapop as he was anymore; Soda wasn't the best friend he had grown to know. He wasn't the same person without Cindy and as much as Steve hated to see his friend with a Soc, it was what Sodapop wanted and he had to support him.

Getting up, Steve finished off his cigarette before tossing it to the concrete beside him. Walking along the streets, his hands stuffed in his pockets, Steve continued to think, knowing what he had to do. His feet led him directly where he had to go, directly to the source of the problem – the hospital.

Steve knew the way to the room, he had been there with Soda before now, be this was different. This would most likely be the last time he made the trip. Stopping outside of Cindy's hospital room, Steve thought over what he was going to say once more before he knocked. Hearing footsteps heading towards the door, he waited impatiently until the door opened a bit.

His eyes fell on Cherry who was looking at him in surprise and annoyance. "What do you want?" she muttered, her cousin having been absorbed in what was on television at the moment.

"I want to talk to you," he replied calmly, watching as Cherry glanced over her shoulder into the room. "Don't worry, it ain't a trick. Soda ain't here. It's just me…"

Sighing, Cherry nodded slowly before calling out to Cindy that she'd be back in awhile before closing the door and following Steve down the hall to the waiting room. Sitting back in one of the chairs, she looked at the Greaser impatiently. "Well, what is it?" she asked.

Steve sat down across from her, his eyes turning to focus on the Soc's face as he debated on what he wanted to say first. "I wanna talk to you 'bout Soda. I want you to hear me out."

"Fine…"

"Good."

"Start then," Cherry sighed, feeling she was in for a long lecture. She knew that she wasn't herself anymore. She knew that whatever these feelings were they weren't the ones she usually had. But how could she help it? She was trying to protect her cousin from more danger, after all.

"Soda ain't the same…" Steve began, uncertain as to how to say what he had to say. He wasn't the sensitive type. He wasn't like Johnny who felt things; he was uncaring, ruthless and carefree. But with Soda, it was different. He had to get his friend back.

Cherry merely looked at him, waiting patiently for him to continue on. Taking this as a cue that she was going to change her tune a bit, Steve continued.

"He ain't laughin' no more. He ain't smilin' no more. He don't enjoy workin' no more. Soda's got to the point where he don't know what to do no more. He spends his time sittin' around and starin' into space, thinkin' about Cindy and what he did to her. It's crushed his world to know she might have been dead, Cherry and he can't handle it. He's lost his parents. She's just as important to him as Darry and Pony are or maybe even more important. He ain't ever had it this bad for someone and he can't keep goin' on like this…."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Cherry asked, taking his pause as a moment to talk.

"Cherry, all I'm askin' is you let him come and see her. Let him talk to her and see with his own eyes that she's alright."

"I can't do that, Steve…"

"Why not?"

Cherry sighed, running her fingers through her red locks. "Because, Cindy almost died. She was associated with you guys and she almost died. I can't lose my cousin, Steve, she's the closest thing to a sister that I have."

"She ain't die 'cause of us, Cherry."

"What!"

"Think 'bout it, Cherry. You hung out with us and you ain't die. Cindy was in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's it. They ain't targeting her."

"You can't be sure of that."

"I'm sure that she ain't some Greasers target. If she is, they're gonna have to deal with us."

A small smile passed over Cherry's lips as she listened to his remark. "I don't want her to get hurt again…"

"She ain't gonna get hurt by just lookin' at him. Come on, Cherry, where's the holiday spirit? In two days it's Christmas and for the hell of it I want Soda to actually be happy on Christmas. He deserves that much."

Cherry sighed, looking down the hallway towards her cousin's room before she turned back to look at him. After debating for a few moments quietly, she nodded slightly, finally resigning to his request. "I'll be along tomorrow to get him…" she replied quietly.

Steve smirked, standing up and holding out his hand to help her up. "You're an alright girl, Cherry," he replied, winking. "And if you see, Marcia, let her know I'm sorry for trickin' her," he continued, laughing as he walked off down the hallway toward the exit.

Shaking her head at his parting remark, Cherry returned toward Cindy's room. Entering into it, she ignored her cousin's questioning glance as she sat down on the chair she had been accustomed to keeping. She owed this to Cindy. She knew her cousin was missing Sodapop, even if she didn't mention it and, she had to admit, it would be nice to have things back to normal again.

Deciding that she had made the right decision, Cherry tried to focus all her mind on the television as she tried to forget about Christmas Eve, which proved that it would be unforgettable.


	41. Chapter 41

Sodapop sat quietly in his room, his head resting back against the wall as his thoughts overwhelmed his brain. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have thought that he could convince Cherry Valance to let him see her cousin, mostly after everything that had happened?

It was no use anymore. He wouldn't see Cindy ever again. He would never get to see her beautiful smile, hear her adorable laugh, or even listen to her talk of things that he could care less about. Sighing slightly in despair, Soda was hardly aware of the sound of his friend calling him from the other room. He didn't care to leave the confines of his dark room, which was perfectly equipped to complete his mood.

Hearing the door open, however, Soda's hand rose to shield his eyes from the incoming light. Blinking a few times, he sighed, recognizing Steve's outline against the bright light.

"Get on out here, Pony's gettin' worried."

"Tell him I'm fine."

"You can't sit in here poutin'."

Soda picked up the pillow that rested by him before hurling it towards his friend.

Catching the pillow, Steve laughed slightly getting the hint before he backed out of the room. Turning around, he looked at the other three members who were waiting for him to tell them what had happened. Simply shaking his head, Steve returned to the couch, sitting back on it as he watched the show that played across the television screen.

Unable to get into the movie, though, he sighed, his eyes flashing towards the clock. Cherry needed to hurry and show up, he wasn't sure how well Soda would handle the rest of the day, mostly with Christmas coming up.

* * *

Cherry looked at the clock that rested on the wall opposite of her cousin's bed. It was only a little past two in the afternoon and still she was waiting for the doctors to come on their usual rounds. Sighing, she glanced toward Cindy who was watching the television with a look of boredom on her face; she had been confined in the same area for so long and now she was slowly becoming bored of the place in which she found herself.

"Why do you keep glancing at the clock, Sherri?" Cindy asked quietly as a commercial break came on.

Turning her eyes toward her cousin, Cherry tried to hide the look of surprise on her face as she shrugged some. "They're just late."

"They'll be here…"

"I know, but I wish they'd hurry up."

Cindy giggled softly, sitting up a bit more in the bed. "What's wrong? Got a big date tonight with your boyfriendddd," she cooed, watching as Cherry's face reddened a bit.

"No, I don't. You know I don't have a boyfriend," she replied hastily, forcing her mind away from Two-Bit, the one guy she had been thinking a lot about lately.

Cindy merely continued to laugh to herself, her attention slowly drifting towards the door that had just opened. Watching as the doctor and the nurse walked into the room, Cindy glanced toward her cousin as if to say 'I told you so'.

Rolling her eyes, Cherry sat back in her usual chair, watching as the doctor completed his usual inspection. As time ticked past slowly, Cherry found her eyes glancing occasionally towards the clock again, feeling herself get a bit more antsy.

It was now almost three o'clock. She had to leave and get Sodapop before the hospital doors were locked.

"Sherri…Sherri!"

Looking over at her cousin in surprise, Cherry smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I was thinking. What's up?"

Cindy looked at her cousin, laughing before she nodded toward the departing doctor and nurse. "Did you hear what they said?" she questioned, smiling brightly.

Cherry simply shook her head slowly.

"They said I could leave today…right now!" Cindy exclaimed, beside herself with excitement.

A look of surprise appeared on Cherry's face and this time she was unable to prevent it. Leave? Her cousin was released? What was she going to do now!

Remembering that Cindy was still waiting for a response, Cherry smiled as she started to pack all the things she had brought her cousin into the suitcase. "Well what are we waiting for, let's get going!"

Cindy smiled as she got out of the bed, her eyes closing some as she winced in pain. Recalling what the doctor said, she sighed softly, looking at her cousin. "Just, don't let me do anything crazy for awhile. The doctor said I need to take things easy. No excitement or anything," Cindy explained, helping her cousin finish packing.

Nodding, Cherry simply smiled before pulling the heavy suitcase from the bed and heading towards the door. As they walked out of the hospital, Cherry began to wonder just how much excitement her cousin could handle.

* * *

Steve's eyes flashed toward the clock for the twentieth time that hour. _How much longer are they going to be?_ he wondered, forcing his face back towards the television screen again.

It felt like another hour before he heard the sound of footsteps moving around him and the sound of Two-Bit's voice ringing out through the house. "Hey, there's a car headin' this way. A soc car," he called out, causing Steve to jump up as if he had been electrocuted.

Heading towards Soda's room, he pushed open the door. This was it. This was all he could do to get his friend to be a little happier. Now all Cherry had to do was hold up to her end of the bargain. Sighing, he ignored Soda's complaints as he pulled the Greaser from the bed and into the living room.

"What the hell, Steve!" Soda yelled, straightening out his clothes as his friend finally let go of him.

Steve merely shook his head as he pointed toward the window, the red car having come to a stop in front of the Curtis house.

A look of confusion appeared on Soda's face as he headed toward the door, pulling it open and watching the movement outside through the screen door. He was unaware of the other gang members coming up behind him as he focused his attention on movement in the car. Listening to the sound of the door slam, he looked at Cherry, who was heading towards them in her usual self-confident manner.

Smiling some, she stopped before Sodapop, who had now entered onto the porch with the others.

"Um…I hadn't expected you all to be here…"

"It's our house," Soda pointed out, his eyes focused on her dully. There was no real reason for him to behave civilly towards her, she was the one that had pushed him away from her cousin countless times.

Noticing the sound of his voice, Cherry's smile faded as she took a step back. Her eyes glanced imploringly at Steve, who was looking at her impatiently. "Um…well, I've come to talk with you. I know that I haven't been the nicest to you and even last night I was pretty harsh. But, well, Steve came over and talked some sense into me and…well…." – Cherry stopped, looking nervously at the others before glancing over her shoulder – "I wanted to make it up to you."

"How?" Soda asked, his eyebrows rising slowly in question.

"Well…I…" Cherry began before she was cut off.

"Sherri, what's taking so long?"

A look of surprise passed over Soda's face before he looked over his shoulder, looking at his best friend questioningly. Steve, however, merely shrugged as he glanced toward Cherry in confusion.

Cherry smiled some, glancing over her shoulder before stepping aside and nodding towards the car she had abandoned a few minutes ago.

As he looked in the direction that Cherry had nodded, Soda felt himself freeze. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe. All he could do was stare as his dark eyes fell onto the one girl he had fallen in love with so long ago – Cindy.

"Soda….?"

"Cindy!"

Before he knew it, Soda had jumped off the porch and had wrapped his arms around Cindy, unwilling to let her go. He felt her arms sliding around him, her head falling to rest on his chest. It was as if everything was perfect. Everything was back to normal.

The other gang members stood quietly where they were with Cherry, all of them simply watching the scene that unfolded before them. None of them, however, could bring themselves to break the two apart.

"Let's go inside," Steve muttered, backing towards the door. Nodding slowly, the gang filed into the house one-by-one. Turning to look over his shoulder, Steve smirked slightly, "Nothing's going to happen, Cherry, come on."

Nodding slowly, Cherry cast one last look at her cousin and the Greaser before entering into the house with the rest of them.

* * *

Cindy sat quietly on the porch, her head resting against Sodapop as she felt his arm tighten a bit around her. Smiling to herself, she glanced up at him, finding her gaze locking with his. Unable to prevent herself, a small laugh escaped from her lips as she watched him turn away.

"Something wrong?" she questioned quietly.

Sodapop shook his head slowly, his eyes focusing on the area in front of him still.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, everything's perfect," he replied quietly, smiling as he turned back to look at her. It was the first real smile he had given since she was hurt and he hoped that it wouldn't be the last. He couldn't stand the thought of losing her again.

Cindy nodded slowly, taking his word for it as she rested against him once more. She was finally perfectly happy. She felt as if every missing piece in her life was back together. And yet, she had the feeling that he was hiding something from her.

After a few more minutes of sitting together silently, Cindy felt Soda pulling away from her. Looking up at him, she watched as he rose to his feet and offered her his hand. "Walk with me?"

"Sure," Cindy replied, smiling as she got up and took his hand.

Soda yelled over his shoulder to his brother that they were going for a walk before he led the young Soc down the steps and then along the street. His mind kept drifting from topic to topic until he finally decided on one that he wanted to talk to her about.

"Cindy…."

"Yeah?" she asked, stopping as she turned to look up at him.

Looking down into her eyes, he smiled, noticing the uncertain look on her face. If only she knew.

"I dunno how to say this…"

"What?"

Taking a deep breath, Soda reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring that Cherry had given to him. Holding it in his clinched fist, he looked into her eyes once more. "I gotta talk to you 'bout somethin' important."

Cindy nodded slowly, "Okay, what is it?"

"Alright. Don't laugh."

"I won't," she promised, smiling.

Soda nodded slowly before taking her hand in his free hand. "I love you Cindy. I don't wanna think 'bout losin' you again and I…I wanna marry you…" he began, watching as her eyes widened. "I asked you this before and I ain't got no problem askin' you again so that you remember…but I…I wanna get married now. I don't wanna wait 'til you're outta school. I wanna marry you now."

"Soda….I…."

He looked at her, noticing the speechlessness which he had placed upon her. Sighing some, he nodded, looking towards the ground. "I understand…it's sudden and rushed."

Looking up at him as she heard the sadness and pain in his voice, Cindy shook her head quickly. "No, Soda! I want to marry you. Here and now if I could," she whispered, stepping closer to him.

"Really?"

She smiled, nodding. "Really."

Soda looked in her eyes, questioningly. "We…could, you know?"

"Could what?"

"Get married right now."

"We could?"

Sodapop nodded slowly, pointing down the street in the direction of the East side. "The courthouse is down that way."

Cindy giggled softly. "Elope?"

"Yeah, why not?"

She shrugged, laughing softly as she took his hand again. "Let's go then," she replied.

Smiling to himself, Sodapop led her toward the courthouse, feeling as if he was walking on air.

In what felt like minutes, Sodapop pulled open the door to the courthouse, letting Cindy into the brightly lit room. Entering in behind her, he looked around, watching as she headed toward the counter.

"Excuse me, where do we go to get married?" she questioned, looking at the man behind the counter.

The man looked down at Cindy and Sodapop, eyeing them closely before pointing down the hallway. Taking his advice, Cindy headed along the hall, her hand squeezing Soda's hand as they entered into the room. Spotting a judge sitting behind his desk, Cindy approached the desk, giving him her request to marry Sodapop.

Deciding he wasn't going to ask questions, the judge rose from his seat, and took his spot near the young couple.

In her state of mind, Cindy was unaware of anything that was going on. All she could think about was how happy she was. She was marrying Sodapop Curtis, the most handsome guy around. The guy she had fallen in love with long ago and the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. All she was aware of was saying "I do" and hearing him say the same words beside her.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

These words brought Cindy crashing back into reality as she felt Soda's lips pressing lovingly and gently against her own. Smiling in ecstasy, she walked out of the room with Sodapop, her eyes looking down toward the ring that she wore on her left hand.

"It's beautiful…"

Soda nodded, kissing the top of her head gently before he pulled off the chain he wore around his neck. "Here, where it on this," he said quietly, watching as Cindy removed the wedding ring from her hand and placing it on the chain. They had agreed before the ceremony they would be married secretly until she had graduated from school so until then…

"We better get back," Sodapop said quietly as he watched her place the chain around her neck. Nodding in agreement, Cindy kissed him gently before heading towards the door.

* * *

"Wonder where they are…" Cherry said nervously, looking at the clock then at Two-Bit, who sat beside her.

Two-Bit shrugged indifferently, watching the show on television. "They'll be back."

"I hope so."

"Don't worry, Cherry, they'll be back."

Cherry nodded slowly yet it didn't prevent her from jumping up as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Swinging aside the screen door, she sighed in relief seeing Cindy walking up the steps with Sodapop.

"Where have you two been?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Just on a walk," Cindy replied, smiling as she glanced toward Sodapop.

Sodapop nodded slowly, ignoring the questioning glance that Steve shot in his direction. Noticing that Cherry had drug Cindy away from his grasp, he looked toward the Soc in confusion.

"We need to get home. See you guys soon," Cherry stated, leaving no room for argument.

Cindy smiled at Sodapop, "I'll see you tomorrow. Merry Christmas Eve, Sodapop…" she said, giggling before she headed toward the car with her cousin.

Listening to the engine come to life, Soda sighed, thinking over what had happened. Shaking his head, he watched as Cherry drove over taking Cindy with her.

"Well? How was it?" Steve asked as they entered into the house again.

Soda shrugged as he fell onto the couch, "What can I say? I'm in love…" he said, smirking as he turned toward the television. And to be honest, he never wanted to be without his wife again.

* * *

**A/N:** And that is the end. I'm thinking of a sequel. Let me know your thoughts on if you think a sequel would be good. Hope you enjoyed it!


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